Gulls outlast Colby-Sawyer for TCCC win
March 25, 2008
BEVERLY, Mass. - The Endicott College women's lacrosse team outlasted Colby-Sawyer College, downing the winless Chargers, 14-10, in the Gulls' TCCC opener on Tuesday afternoon in Beverly, Massachusetts. The win pushes Endicott to 4-2 overall, while improving it to 1-0 in The Commonwealth Coast Conference.
Endicott was able to open a three goal lead on two separate occasions before finally pulling away for good. Despite the Chargers' 0-5 record (0-2 TCCC), Colby-Sawyer battled hard throughout the contest to keep it close until the very end.
Endicott's Kellie Cunningham (Derry, N.H.) paced the scoring for the Gulls, tallying four goals and two assists. Colby-Sawyer's Tara Stewart (Londonderry, N.H.) also scored four goals for the Chargers.
Cunningham got the scoring started for the Gulls 7:16 into the game as she set off a 3-1 scoring barrage capped off by Kristen Micho (Syracuse, N.Y.) to give Endicott a 4-1 lead with 15:24 remaining in the first.
However creaky defense from Endicott and a fast offensive push from Allicia Murphy (North Bennington, Vt.) kept the Chargers within striking distance. Murphy buried two goals before the break, sending the visitors into the intermission down one, 5-4.
The Gulls' halftime speech must have inspired as they opened with another 3-1 scoring onslaught with goals from Cunningham, Alex Pearce (Underhill, Vt.), and Valerie Feldman (Albany, N.Y.). Just like that, Endicott led 8-5 just 5:20 into the second frame.
The EC advantage didn't last long as two free-position goals from Stewart, and a goal on a slashing offensive move through Endicott's defensive zone from Lisa Giordano, tied the game at 8-all.
Two minutes later, Cunningham grabbed the ball at midfield and carried it 40 yards to the Chargers' cage, finding the back of the net to give the Gulls a lead they would not relinquish.
Cunningham would add another goal on a great cutting pass, and Kelsey Lawler (Hurst, TX/ Trinity Valley) added two goals to fuel what would become a 6-0 run to give the Blue and Green a 14-8 lead with 7:47 remaining. Colby-Sawyer would add two more goals before the final horn, however the Chargers' fell short, 14-10.
Along with Cunningham's six points, Pearce notched three goals and an assist for the Gulls. Feldman also had four points scoring two goals and two assists. Micho and Lawler both scored two goals in the win.
The Chargers had three two-goal scorers, Murphy, Giordano, and Elaina Kennedy (Sunderland, Mass.). Sarah McRoberts (Bourne, Mass.) tallied the only two assists for Colby-Sawyer.
Endicott gets right back to work on Thursday as it travels to Middletown, Connecticut for a showdown with NESCAC powerhouse Wesleyan University at 5:00 p.m. Colby-Sawyer returns home Saturday to square off against conference opponent Salve Regina at 1:00 p.m.