CNE SEMIFINALS: Comeback Attempt Falls Just Short; Men's Soccer Suffers 2-1 Road Loss To Suffolk

EAST BOSTON, Mass. — The sixth-seeded Endicott men's soccer team battled hard, but ultimately fell on the road to second-seeded Suffolk, 2-1, in Tuesday evening's Conference of New England (CNE) semifinal matchup at James A. Sartori Stadium.

In a competitive, back-and-forth first half, both teams worked some strong opportunities on net. In the 28th minute, it was the Rams who broke through, as they took advantage of a loose pass in the Endicott midfield and converted the opportunity into a score.

The Gulls continued to control the pace the rest of the half, but were unable to work an equalizer.

Then, in the second half, Ethan Harrison (Sandy Springs, Ga.) made a sprawling save to keep it a 1-0 game, but immediately after the Rams cashed in their second goal off of a corner kick to take a 2-0 lead in the contest (52nd minute).

Looking for some late life, it was Drew McClay-Ward (Loughborough, England) in the 77th minute who tapped home a back-post pass from Conor Rooney (Monroe, Conn.) to get the Gulls right back into the game.

Ethan Nunes (Chattanooga, Tenn.) created the opportunity after he tracked down a loose ball on the left wing, dished it to Rooney, who made a move and sent it to McClay-Ward for the one-time score.

In the final stretch of the match, the Gulls had opportunities in the box sparked by Tim Lynch (Groton, Conn.) and Aidan Sheehan (Arlington, Mass.), but the Rams clung to their 2-1 lead and narrowly closed out the visitors. A would-be equalizer was even waived off after the officials ruled offsides on the play.

Harrison ended his night with six saves on eight shots faced. His record dropped to 5-3-1 on the year.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• First career goal for McClay-Ward.
• The Blue and Green defeated Suffolk 2-0 at Hempstead Stadium earlier this season.
• Entering tonight, the Gulls held a 5-4 lead in the all-time series and had won two straight games against the Rams (3-0 scoring margin).
• Ninth conference semifinal berth in the last 10 seasons for Endicott.
• The Gulls played with just 10 men for the final 33 minutes after they received a red card in the 57th.

WHAT'S NEXT

Sixth-seeded Endicott (10-8-2) sees its season come to a close after the semifinal loss. Second-seeded Suffolk (13-3-3) heads to top-seeded Roger Williams this Saturday for the CNE Championship match (time TBD). 

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(Photo Credit - Jonah Bean '28)