Plante's header propels Gulls to TCCC Finals
Nov. 4, 2008
BEVERLY, Mass. - Sophomore midfielder Kayla Plante (Sanford, Maine) connected on a solid header off a corner from TCCC Player of the Year Caitlin Flynn (Southold, N.Y.) in the 75th minute to lift the top-seeded Gulls past cross-town rival Gordon College, 1-0, in the TCCC Semifinals on Tuesday in Beverly, Mass. The win propels Endicott into the conference finals for the eighth-straight year, where the Gulls will host Roger Williams University on Saturday.
A back-and-forth first half saw each team with its fair share of scoring chances. Gordon's best chance came with 15:27 remaining in the frame when freshman Erin Strom (Wheaton, Ill.) took a free-kick from 15-yards out attempting to connect with a teammate back post, however the pass sailed just high.
Endicott countered with an opportunity of its own just four minutes later as freshman Colleen Pepin (Fairhaven, Mass.) showed some fancy footwork on the opponent's end line, dribbling out of trouble to find Karyn Plante (Sanford, Maine) at the top of the box. Plante got under the ball and her bid flew over the crossbar to keep the contest knotted at zero entering the intermission.
The playing field shifted in the direction of the visitors for the opening 13 minutes of the second half; however the Gulls prevented any genuine scoring opportunity from developing for the Fighting Scots. It looked as though Endicott would break the scoreless tie with 24 minutes left in regulation as Flynn passed a corner to Pepin, who directed a header to the lower-right portion of the Gordon net. A Fighting Scots defender found herself in the right place at the right time, as she made a team save to keep Endicott off the board.
Feeling the pressure, Endicott finally found the back of the net at 74:29. Caitlin Flynn put a shot on the Gordon net from 25-yards, forcing Abby Ytzen (Des Moines, Iowa) to make a beautiful diving stop to her right. The ensuing corner kick sealed the deal, as Flynn connected with Kayla Plante in the middle of the box, who directed a header past a pair of defenders for the game-winner.
Endicott outshot the Fighting Scots, 18-6, and the two teams each had four corner opportunities in the match. Ytzen made seven saves for the visitors while Amy Meuse posted her seventh shutout by making four stops for the Gulls.
Endicott will host Roger Williams in the TCCC Finals on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. The contest will be a rematch of last year's championship which Endicott won in overtime. The Blue and Green are gunning for their sixth consecutive conference title.