Early Goal Holds Up for Gulls Third Straight Victory

BEVERLY, Mass. – Jordan Daniel (Canton, Conn.) scored in the third minute and Endicott kept their second consecutive clean sheet as the Gulls edged Salem State 1-0 Saturday in men's soccer action at Endicott Stadium.

Daniel's shot from close range trickled through the hands of Salem State keeper Scott Hall (Waltham, Mass.) and into the back of the net for the freshman's second collegiate goal.

"We believed we could get off to a quick start against Salem," said Head Coach Joe Calabrese. "Off of a quick throw-in, Jordan was able to beat the two center backs and put a low hard shot on frame in the first five minutes."

The victory was Endicott's first result against the Vikings in the last eight matchups, breaking an 0-6-1 record dating back to 2005.

Senior Daniel Higgins (South Kingstown, R.I.) made four saves to record his second shutout of the season, one of them a leaping effort to push a Salem State blast from 30 yards out over the bar. Hall made two stops in 90 minutes of play for Salem State, who drop to 1-3 on the year.

Calabrese was especially proud of his team's defensive effort in the second half, when they held the Vikings without a shot on frame. "We made some adjustments at halftime and our team rose to the occasion in terms of denying Salem any scoring opportunities. In the first half they were able to get a few chances by getting in behind us, but we stopped them from serving long balls into the final third after halftime."

Diego Slobotzky (Mexico City, Mexico) had a chance to extend the lead in the second half on a breakaway but Hall came out to make a 1 v 1 save as the Slobotzky went down in the box.

Salem State outshot the Gulls 10-9, led by four shots from Matt Figueiredo (Wilmington, Mass.). Daniel fired three shots on goal for Endicott, who held a 3-1 advantage in corner kicks.

The Gulls will continue their home-stand on Monday afternoon when they host the Suffolk Rams.

Salem State will return home for a Wednesday evening match (7:00 pm) against UMass Dartmouth.