It was a foggy day at Gaudet Field where the Salve Regina Seahawks fell to the Endicott Gulls 15-5, a far cry from their commanding 14-9 victory against Nichols College the previous week. As for Endicott, the energy was high coming into the game after snapping a five-game losing streak with a dominant 24-1 win over Wentworth the previous Wednesday. Pregame, Endicott Head Coach Maureen Spellman spoke on getting back into the win column before facing Salve and what makes Endicott stand out as a team.
“[The victory over Wentworth] was a little bit of a confidence booster, hopefully it’s a little launch pad for the rest of the season. I think our team culture makes us special, our depth [is a strong point] we play a lot of different kids, so it makes it a bit tough to scout us, we just have a lot of heart,” said Spellman.
As for Salve’s Head Coach, Jessica Trautman, she spoke on the improvements she’s seen with the team so far through the season.
“We’ve had a lot of people step into the midfield spot, being versatile, going over on defense, our attack is clicking a lot more, so that’s really exciting to see, it means that we can get the ball in the back of the net. Having this high-caliber competition today is really going to test what we’ve been working on,” said Trautman
Endicott would certainly prove to be a test for the Seahawks, with them scoring a goal less than a minute into the game, from the stick of senior attack Alex Palermo. Salve would be quick to answer, with a goal from sophomore attack Kayli Garcia less than a minute after the initial Endicott goal to tie the game 1-1. It would not be long before the Gulls would strike again, with another goal from Palermo to regain the lead. Endicott would score two more goals, courtesy of freshman midfielder Mia Smith before the end of the first quarter to make the score 4-1.
In the second quarter, the Gulls would pick up right where they left off, with a goal from graduate attack Katie Wagner four minutes into the quarter. The Gulls would then get a free-position shot opportunity and senior attack Kiana Napolitano would deliver, making it 6-1.
Endicott was dominating the draw wins and overall possession, showing off a crisp passing game that would ultimately lead to many scoring opportunities. Gulls scoring leader, senior midfielder Katie Schenk would get one of those opportunities, getting a goal at 9:29. Four minutes later, Palermo would get a hat trick to make it 8-1, Endicott, and then Smith would get her second three minutes before the conclusion of the first half.
Not much would change in the second half, with Endicott’s senior attack Katy Garvin scoring less than a minute into the quarter, much like the start of the first half. Salve would not take this lying down, with senior midfielder Gabriella Von Beren netting a goal to shave away at the Gulls’ eight goal lead. Salve’s sophomore midfielder Samantha Moleti would follow Von Beren’s lead in the form of a free-position goal at 9:18 to make it 10-3.
Schenk would do her thing and get her second goal of the game less than a minute after Moleti’s. The Gulls and Seahawks would go back and forth for a bit before the Gulls would widen the margin once again, thanks to Napolitano.
Endicott would go into the fourth quarter up big, and they would press the issue, to make it 13-3 with junior midfielder Jaira Paine getting in on the fun. Salve would show their grit and refuse to give up, with Garcia and sophomore Cameron Baston both reaching the back of the net to make it 13-5. Endicott would get a two-pack of their own to close out the game, with goals from senior midfielder Carly Pierce and freshman Leah Black. Endicott would win the game 15-5.
Although it was not the most competitive game for the Seahawks, they still showed that they can get balls to the back of the net when they are operating their offense efficiently in tandem with their defense. Despite letting up a lot of goals, the Seahawks' defense had some bright spots, with senior defender Breah Healey making some plays and sophomore goaltender Grace Haesche recording seven free-position saves. Before the game, Coach Spellman touched on the Seahawks, and how they can be a gritty opponent.
"They always bring a battle, so we're excited to see how scrappy they are, and how much grit they have, and I think it will be a good battle," said Spellman
After yet another high-scoring win, Endicott will go on to face Roger Williams this coming Saturday. As for Salve, they will be back at Gaudet field on Tuesday to face Gordon College and will then go on the road to face Wentworth the following week. With it still being relatively early in the season, there is still a lot of time for these two teams to grow and develop, and both showed a great deal of talent on Saturday and appear to have bright futures ahead of them this season.
Make sure to check out fansonlysportz.com for your local sports updates!
Comments