Gulls men's soccer releases 2011 schedule

The Endicott men’s soccer fall schedule has been released and in 2011, under new head coach Joe Calabrese, the Gulls look to make a run at the TCCC Championship after a quarterfinal appearance last season. The playoff bid was the first for the Blue and Green since 2006.

2011 Endicott Men’s Soccer Schedule

Endicott opens its 2011 campaign with a road match with North Shore, non-conference rival Salem State University on September 3^rd. The Vikings are coming off back-to-back appearances in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after winning the MASCAC Championship in 2009 and 2010. With a 9-6-4 overall record, Salem State topped Framingham State 3-0 on their home field to win their conference title and went on to face Babson College in the NCAA Tournament. Babson, however, handed Salem States a 4-1 defeat. Endicott and Salem State have played early season soccer in each of the past six years with the Vikings holding a 5-0-1 record over the Gulls. 

The Gulls kick off their schedule at Endicott Stadium on September 5^th against 2010 MASCAC and ECAC semifinalist Bridgewater State University. Bridgewater State was eliminated in their conference tournament by eventual champion Salem State 2-1, and then earned a bid into the ECAC Tournament. After a double-overtime victory over Lesley University in the quarterfinals, the Bears fell to Brandeis 3-0 ending their 2011 season. The Gulls and Bears played each other over the past two seasons with Bridgewater winning both games by a score of 4-3 (2009) and 5-1 (2010). 

Endicott is set to play five of their nine TCCC matches at home this season. Three of those matches have been designated as marquis games for the Gulls who look to improve upon their 6-6-1 conference record from last season. On September 10^th, Endicott invites Western New England University into Beverly for their first conference tilt of the season. The Golden Bears, a finalist in the ECAC Tournament after getting ousted in the TCCC semifinals, shutout the Gulls 2-0 on their home field in 2010. Coach Calabrese, who served as an assistant coach for the Golden Bears for three years, will face off against his former squad for the first time as Endicott’s head coach. Two weeks later on September 24^th, North Shore and conference rival Gordon College comes to Endicott Stadium. The Scots made the TCCC Championship match only to fall in penalty kicks 1-1 (3-1 PKs) to top-seeded Nichols College. Gordon bested Endicott 3-0 in their only regular season meeting of the 2010 season. The 2010 TCCC Champions, Nichols College, travel to Endicott on October 15^th for a crucial late-season match. Nichols, who hosted Eastern Connecticut State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament only to fall 1-0 on an early first half goal, won their first ever conference title and made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. The combined record of these three opponents in 2010 was 40-15-11.  

Western Massachusetts native and Endicott head coach, Joe Calabrese, travels to play his alma mater Westfield State University on September 29^th. Coach Calabrese was a four-year starter and two-year captain for the Owls from 2000-03, earning two MASCAC All-Conference awards in the process. He led his team to a MASCAC Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in the 2000 season. After earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Westfield State, Coach Calabrese stayed on to be top-assistant with the Owls men’s soccer squad for one season. The team went 8-6-2 that season. In 2010, Westfield State earned the \#1 seed in the MASCAC Tournament following a 6-1-0 conference record. The Owls were stunned in the semifinals, however, by Framingham State who won in penalty kicks 4-2. Westfield State finished their 2011 season with a 14-3-1 overall standing.

Can’t make it to a certain game this year? Make sure to check out our live stats and live video links throughout the season. You can also follow how Gulls men’s soccer and our other sports are doing via Facebook, Twitter, and Text Alerts at the links below.

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