CCC CHAMPIONSHIP: Endicott Knocks Down Rival Western New England To Claim League Title, 12-9

BEVERLY, Mass. – The first-seeded Endicott men's lacrosse team captured its ninth Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship in program history on Saturday evening with a 12-9 victory over second-seeded Western New England at Hempstead Stadium. 

Colin Bannon (Westport, Conn.) fueled Endicott offensively with four goals and two assists for a total of six points. Bannon's fourth and final goal of the day clinched the CCC title for the Gulls as the senior attack juked a Golden Bears' defender from behind the cage and buried the uncontested dagger with 1:30 left in the fourth quarter. 

Endicott never trailed in today's contest, but did fend off a late rally from Western New England in the second half after jumping out to an 8-4 advantage at the break. The Golden Bears pulled within two goals at the 3:28 mark of the fourth prior to Bannon's solo effort that locked up the victory. 

Luke Wallahan (Pleasant Hill, Calif.) also notched four goals for Endicott, while Will Clark (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) added two strikes. Cam Goodrich (Raynham, Mass.) and Kenneth Speak (Melbourne, Australia) rounded out the Gulls' offense with one solo tally apiece.

Defensively, Grant Thompson (South Hamilton, Mass.) stopped a game-high 15 shots (one shy of tying his career-high) in the win (10-4). Shane Hughes (York Beach, Maine) also played a pivotal role in the victory, as the senior defender notched four ground balls and three caused turnovers (both game-highs at that position).

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Today marked the fifth straight year Endicott and Western New England have met in the CCC title game, and eighth time overall (2008, 2009, 2011, 2013-17).
• Endicott posted a perfect 8-0 record in regular season league play, and a 2-0 mark in the CCC Tournament to go undefeated against conference foes this season (10-0).
• The Gulls are 6-2 at home this year.
• Tommy Hughes (Coram, N.Y.) went 14-for-24 from the face-off X, and scooped up nine ground balls. Hughes's nine ground balls helped push his program record further in that category to 742.
• Grant Garrity's (Duxbury, Mass.) caused turnover with 2:50 remaining in the fourth paved the way for Bannon's game-clinching goal 1:20 later (27th of the season). Garrity finished with two caused turnovers on the day.
• Endicott went a perfect 18-for-18 on clear attempts, marking the first time the Gulls have gone 100-percent in that category all-season (16-for-17 in the CCC semis | Regular Season: 11-for-12 vs. Bowdoin, 14-for-15 vs. Curry, 12-for-13 vs. WNEU).

FOR THE FOES

• Nicholas Beauchamp (Wilbraham, Mass.) notched a hat-trick to lead the Golden Bears on offense.
• Frank Medlicott (Stanwood, Wash.) added two goals and one assist, while Hunter Cocks (Walden, N.Y.), Tim Breau (Lima, N.Y.), Oskar Djusberg (Abington, Mass.), and Keegan Dudeck (Longmeadow, Mass.) chipped in with one goal each.
• Dudek's only tally of the day brought the Golden Bears within two with 3:28 remaining in the matchup.
• Steven Kerr (Hopkinton, Mass.) made 12 saves in the loss (8-10).

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (10-7) will represent the conference in the 2017 NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship. The Gulls will learn their first round fate on Sunday, May 7 at 9 PM during the NCAA Selection Show on www.ncaa.com. Meanwhile, Western New England sees its 2017 season come to a close at 8-10 overall. 

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(Photo credit - Parker Fish)