Top-seeded Endicott advances past No. 8 Curry
April 29, 2008
BEVERLY, Mass. - For the second time in the last four days the 14th-ranked and top-seeded Endicott College men's lacrosse team was able to post an identical 11-3 decision over Curry College. Tuesday's victory advances the Gulls into The Commonwealth Coast Conference semifinals, while Curry closes out its year at 6-9 overall.
With the sun out early in the first half, Endicott (15-2) was quick to strike out of the gates. John Curtis (Chelmsford, Mass.) got the Gulls on the board 5:45 into the first quarter with a hard bounce shot that beat Alex MacMillan (Framingham, Mass.) five-hole to give EC the early 1-0 lead. David Scarfo (Billerica, Mass.) and Nick Cosco (Londonderry, N.H.) scored consecutive goals just 1:09 apart to give the hosts a comfortable 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
Endicott pumped home two more goals before the close of the first frame, with Cosco getting his second of the afternoon off a pass from Curtis, and Dan Cain (Billerica, Mass.) converting on an easy lay-up off a pretty inside look by Brad Lipkvich (Madison, Conn.).
With the rain falling hard to start the second, the Blue and Green kept the pressure on by burying three goals in under a minute of elapsed time. Lipkvich found the close-side post from 15 yards out for the 6-0 lead, while Brandon Dube (Danvers, Mass.) stuffed a fast-break goal off a clean face-off win by John Ortolani (Billerica, Mass.) just eight seconds later. Andrew Harding (Niskayuna, N.Y.) also got in on the scoring action, dodging from up-top on a slick iso move to find room on the top-shelf. The Gulls would take a 9-0 advantage into the intermission on a man-down goal by Cosco, who rode hard from the attack position and broke-up a MacMillan clearing attempt for an easy empty-net goal.
Dan Cain scored the only goal of the third quarter, notching a tally for the Gulls' man-up team for the double-digit lead. Curry's Chandler Metz (Marshfield, Mass.) erased the Endicott shutout bid to start the fourth, scooping-up a groundball on the crease and firing a shot past the Gulls' third goalie of the day, Shane Gallagher (Lowell, Mass.). Kyle Jordan (Falmouth, Maine) ended the Endicott scoring with a goal under the crossbar at the 8:05 mark of the fourth. Chandler Metz would account for all three of Curry's goals, scoring back-to-back before the final horn.
Endicott was led by Nick Cosco's three goals and one assist for a game-high four points. Brandon Dube had a goal and two helpers, while Dan Cain ended the day with a pair of goals. Three Endicott netminders saw action in Tuesday's win, combining for nine saves. The Gulls led every major statistical category, holding an advantage in shots (43-17), groundballs (52-28), and face-offs (15-of-18). John Ortolani went 13-for-14 from the midfield X.
Curry was paced by Metz's three goals. Kyle Abbott (Ashland, Mass.) was the only other Colonel to notch a point, picking-up an assist on Metz's final tally. Senior goalie Alex MacMillan ended the day with 15 saves in the losing effort.
With the win, Endicott advances into the TCCC semifinals on Thursday evening. The top-seeded Gulls will play host to No. 4 Roger Williams University, who defeated fifth-seeded Wentworth, 17-4, on Tuesday. EC defeated RWU in the regular season, 11-4, on April 19th in Beverly, Mass. The Gulls and the Hawks will square-off under the lights on Thursday evening with face-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m.