BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott men's soccer team hosted Curry on Saturday afternoon for the ECAC Division III New England Semifinals. Four different Gulls scored goals to help lift the Blue and Green to a 4-3 victory. Endicott improves to 11-7-4 as they head into the programs first ECAC title game while the Colonels end their season at 11-10-1.
Endicott will take the field next tomorrow, November 16th as they face the winner of #4 Colby-Sawyer vs. #8 Lesley at 1:00 p.m. for the championship game. Endicott will look to bring home the program's first ECAC title and second overall title in Endicott men's soccer history.
The first half was controlled by the Blue and Green as they outshot Curry 11-3 while taking an early three goal advantage in the first 45 minutes of play. Endicott got on the board first in the opening minutes after senior Connor Gibbs (Westborough, Mass.) tallied his seventh goal of the season after controlling a throw-in by senior Jed Magnusson (Kingston, N.H.) and finding the back of the net.
Endicott worked the final third and 34 minutes later the Gulls took a 2-0 lead after junior Diego Slobotzky (Mexico City, Mexico) notched his ninth goal of the season by moving two Colonel defenders and beating sophomore goalkeeper Dan Johnson (Easton, Conn.) for the two goal advantage.
Less than two minutes later Endicott would increase the lead to three as junior Mark Greco (Belchertown, Mass.) controlled a scramble off Johnson and blasted the ball into the back of the net to give the Gulls a 3-0 lead entering halftime.
The second half was an absolute battle as the Colonels notched three goals while just outshooting the Gulls 9-8. In the opening five minutes of play Curry got their first tally on the board after senior Nico Chavez-Oramas (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.) earned his first goal of the season after controlling a feed from freshman Giancarlo Orsini (Watertown, Conn.) to beat senior goalkeeper Alex Jorge (Billerica, Mass.).
Nine minutes later the Colonels would make it a one goal game as senior Nick Gilman (Longmeadow, Mass.) blasted a free kick that bounced off the cross-bar and junior Matt Cotnoir (Longmeadow, Mass.) controlled the rebound and ripped the ball into the back of the net.
At the 74 minute mark the Blue and Green would increase the lead back up to two after freshman Tyler Johnson (Carver, Mass.) earned his first career goal in a Gulls jersey with help from Slobotzky. The Colonels would answer back 30 seconds later as junior Ryan Madden (Milton, Mass.) controlled a feed from Catnior to get back to a one goal game.
Despite the strong offensive pressure by Curry, Endicott continued to work possession and keep the Colonels off the board for the remainder of the game to hold the lead and secure the 4-3 victory.
Jorge made two stops in the victory as he improves to 10-6-4 while his counterpart, Johnson made five saves in the effort while finishing the season at 11-10-1.
Under the leadership of Head Coach, Joe Calabrese the Endicott men's soccer team has produced one of the program's most successful seasons. With the victory today the Gulls have posted the program's second best record and second most wins in their 20 seasons. Calabrese is just in his fourth season at the helm of the program.
(Game Recap Courtesy of Endicott Sports Informaton)
