Endicott advances in NCAA's with PK thriller

Box Score

GRANTHAM, Pa. – Endicott College rallied from a one-goal second half deficit to knock off SUNY Geneseo in penalty kicks in an opening round NCAA Tournament game held on the campus of top-ranked Messiah College in Grantham, Pa. on Saturday night. The two teams battled to a 1-1 draw before the Gulls posted a 6-5 victory in PK's.

After a scoreless first half it was SUNY Geneseo's Eileen Coyle (Oneonta, N.Y.) who struck first. The senior midfielder notched her 13th goal of the season off a crossing feed from classmate Stephanie Bergin (Middletown, N.Y.) to the far post. Coyle redirected the pass past Endicott goalkeeper \#Amy Meuse\# (Saugus, Mass.) to give the Blue Knights a 1-0 lead in the 80th minute.

The Gulls were quick to respond as the Blue and Green knotted the game at 1-1 just 58 seconds later. Senior \#Allyson Bellemore\# (Manchester, Mass.) hit \#Kayla Corbett\# (Danvers, Mass.) with a slick touch pass that the junior deposited inside the far post to even the contest.

The game would remain tied through two overtime periods, forcing the contest into penalty kicks. The Gulls, who are no strangers to penalty kick situations after falling to William Smith in PK's in the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, showed their poise by edging the Blue Knights, 6-5, in the shootout. Saturday night's showdown went eight shooters deep for each side before freshman \#Caitlin Peters\# (Salem, N.H.) put home the Gulls' sixth penalty kick to help secure the win. Goalkeeper \#Amy Meuse\# was the real difference maker, however, as the graduate student made big stop after big stop in the Endicott victory.

SUNY Geneseo outshot Endicott at a 24-9 clip, including 8-2 in the two overtime periods. The Blue Knights also held a decisive 6-2 advantage in corner opportunities. \#Amy Meuse\# made 11 total saves including five in OT to help backstop the Gulls to victory.

Endicott (17-4-1) will return to action on Sunday evening when the Gulls will square-off with No. 1 Messiah College (20-0-1) at 6:00 p.m. The Falcons posted an impressive 6-1 win over Farmingdale State in the game prior to Endicott's matchup with SUNY Geneseo. The Blue and Green will have their hands full against the tournament host Falcons as Messiah has outscored its opponents at an astounding rate of 97-6 this season. The game can be heard live beginning at 6:00 p.m. through Messiah College Radio, or by clicking the following link: Listen Live.