Despite Efforts Gulls Fall to Beavers in Home Opener

Beverly, Mass. - Junior Mackenzie Hurst (Gilford, N.H.) tallied the first goal on the season for the Gulls in an overtime thriller against NEWMAC rival Babson College. Despite their efforts the Gulls could not stop the Beavers in extra time as senior Morgan Lockwood (Feeding Hills, Mass.) was able to slip the ball past senior goalkeeper Lizetta Solarik (Carmel, N.Y.) for Babson's first win of the season.

Both teams battled for the entire 77 minutes of play on Friday night at North Field. Babson kept the goalkeepers on their toes as Solarik and sophomore Rose Bradley (Pottsdown, Pa.) split time for the Gulls and each saw big shots. Solarik, who played the entire second half and overtime came away with eight stops while Bradley had five.

Babson was able to put a tally on the board first after a scuffle in front of the net. Sophomore Melanie Jordan (Westford, Mass.) caught the rebound off an initial save and was able to make a quick pass to junior Caroline Malone (Walpole, Mass.) who pushed the ball past sophomore goalkeeper Bradley to give the Beavers the lead. The Blue and Green fought to push the ball up the field forcing three offensive corners and four shots but were unable to finish.

The second half showed a new energy for the Gulls as junior Kathryn Walker (Middlebury, Conn.) was able to grab the ball off a rebound and pass it to Hurst to tie up with game only two minutes into the half. The Beavers kept fighting back forcing six offensive corners. However the Gulls defense was able to shut them down quickly with efforts from junior Meghan Leary (Hampton Falls, N.H.). Both Solarik and senior goalkeeper for the Beavers Kayla Florence (Milton, Mass.) were able to keep the ball out of the net for the rest of the second half and forced the game into overtime.

Babson came out shooting in extra time and kept Solarik busy but was able to make some key saves to keep the Gulls in the game. The Beavers almost ended the game in the first two minutes off a shot by Malone but senior Emily O'Halloran (Cheshire, Conn.) was able to jump in front of the net and grab the defensive save. Endicott worked to transition the ball up the field but could not get a shot off. In the 75th minute Lockwood attempted to end the game as she came in one on one towards the Endicott net, but Solarik was able to run out and create the diving save to break up the play. Just a minute later Lockwood came back fighting and was able to work off a scuffle in front of the net and slip it into the right corner for the win.

Defensively the Gulls showed a presence with key plays by senior Robin Hunt (Hampton, N.H.), and juniors Leary and Jess Linden (Stratford, Conn.) who all made it difficult for the Beavers to enter the offensive circle. Babson was able to force a total of 22 offensive corners on the night and was only able to score off one of them.

Both teams will hit the road in their next matchups. Endicott will head to Salem State on September 5^th for a North Shore Cup match and Babson will head to Union (N.Y.) on September 3^rd.