Gulls Play Even First Half, Falter In the Second

Potsdam, N.Y.  The Gulls played #2 Saint Lawrence to a 0-0 halftime score but eventually fell 3-0 in the season opener.  Endicott falls to 0-1 on the young season while Saint Lawrence improves to 1-0.

Endicott will face host Clarkson University at 4:00 pm on Saturday, while St. Lawrence will take on LaVerne University at 6:00 pm.

Endicott played a tough first half, playing to a scoreless draw at halftime.  The defense proved that it was up to the task in the first half.  Ozzy Morales had the closest scoring chance when his first shot hit the crossbar, and the ricochet came right back to him, but Endicott goalkeeper Daniel Higgins made the save.

In the second half, St. Lawrence was able to wear the Gulls down and took advantage of some fouls at the top of the box. After three fakes on a direct kick, Sam DeMello completed the play with a hard shot to the left side of the goal from 25 yards out, and it rolled through for St. Lawrence's first goal at the 57:07 mark. DeMello shortened the play on the next foul, from nearly the same spot, taking the very first chance when the Gulls were on their heels and unprepared. That goal came just three and a half minutes later at 60:37.

The Saints completed their scoring trifecta in the 77th minute with a pretty goal that had two assists. Mark Provost sent a pass deep into the box to Jeremiah Bunton near the end line. Bunton lured the defense in and sent a pass back to Shaka Pilgrim, who fired a shot into the top right corner from about 12 yards out.

Head Coach Joe Calabrese said of DeMello, "We neutralized Sam DeMello the majority of the night in the run of play.  Unfortunately, great players find other ways to impact the game.  He took over the match with two free kicks."

Calabrese was happy with his team's effort at the end of the night.  "We frustrated SLU for nearly an hour.  We gained momentum at the tail end of the first half and nearly got in behind them with the counter attack.  It was a real team effort tonight and for the majority of the match, we held our own and played well."  

St. Lawrence finished with a 17-5 edge in shots and a 7-0 advantage in corner kicks. Nate Goss-Woliner needed to make just two saves to earn the shutout for St. Lawrence, while Higgins was called upon to make four saves for the Gulls.  Endicott was led by Jr. Ryan D'Amico who recorded two shots.

Contributions courtesy of Clarkson Sports Information