Endicott gains top seed in TCCC Tournament with 21-9 win over Seahawks

BEVERLY, Mass. - The road to The Commonwealth Coast Conference championship will have to travel through Beverly, as the Gulls earned the league's top seed with a 21-9 thumping of Salve Regina University in women's lacrosse action on Wednesday afternoon. The win improves the Gulls to 12-4 overall and a perfect 10-0 in league play, while the Seahawks fall to 4-10 and 1-7 in the TCCC.

After Salve Regina senior Erika Curtin (Huntington, N.Y.) opened the scoring just 1:13 into the first quarter on a free-position shot, Endicott rattled off 13 of the game's next 14 strikes, including a spurt of eight in a row. Kristen Micho (Syracuse, N.Y.) notched five points in a span of 5:47 on three goals and two assists, while teammate Morgan DeShaw (Danville, N.H.) added two goals and one helper during the run. Endicott led 14-4 at the intermission.

With a lineup full of reserves in the second half, Endicott kept its foot on the pedal en route to the 21-9 win. The Gulls scored twice in the game's closing 1:30 to add an exclamation point to the victory. Endicott outshot Salve Regina at a 40-22 clip on the day and forced 24 Seahawk turnovers.

Three Gulls finished the afternoon with four tallies in the goal column as Micho, DeShaw and Kelly Tierney (South Hadley, Mass.) paced the Endicott offensive attack. Micho added two assists while DeShaw and Tierney also handed out a helper in the win. Valerie Feldman (Albany, N.Y.) and Holly Davis (Guilford, Conn.) each had two goals and one assist while Molly Sowles (Cumberland, Maine) finished with a pair of goals.

Salve Regina was led by a three goal and one assist effort from junior Nicole Viola (Scarborough, Maine). Freshman Kelly Burke (Georgetown, Mass.) and Curtin each had two goals and senior Sarah Baker (Summit, N.J.) had a goal and an assist in the losing effort.

Sophomore goalkeepers Natalie Balletta (Leominster, Mass.) and Leah Neff (South Berwick, Maine) each finished with 12 saves apiece. Balletta made 10 stops in the first half while Neff posted seven in the second.

Endicott wraps up its regular season on Saturday when the Gulls travel to Curry College for an 11:00 a.m. start against the Colonels. Salve Regina looks to rebound at home on Saturday against New England College beginning at 1:00 p.m.

Courtesy of Endicott sports information