Gulls advance to NCAA Second Round with double-OT thriller
Nov. 15, 2008
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Endicott's Colleen Pepin (Fairhaven, Mass.) scored the game-winning goal with 25 seconds left in the second overtime period Saturday to lift the Gulls to a 1-0 victory over host Nazareth in an opening-round game of the NCAA Division III Tournament for women's soccer. The victory improved Endicott's record to 16-3-2 and enabled the Gulls to advance to Sunday's second-round match while Nazareth finishes its season at 12-8-1 overall.
Saturday's game appeared to be headed to penalty kicks as each team squandered numerous overtime scoring chances. The game was scoreless until the 110th and final minute when Endicott's Allyson Bellemore (Manchester, N.H.) sent a pass through the Nazareth defense to Pepin, who beat Nazareth keeper Hillary Simon (Homer, N.Y.) for the game-winning score, her 14th goal of the season.
Endicott outshot Nazareth 18-9 over the first 90 minutes of regulation play. In overtime, Nazareth had seven shots to Endicott's five. Endicott goalie Amy Meuse (Saugus, Mass.) made 11 saves for her eighth shutout of the season. Simon finished with a season-high 13 saves for the Golden Flyers.
The Gulls return to the field on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to face William Smith College at 1:00 p.m. in Rochester, N.Y. The Herons (14-1-4) defeated Keuka in Saturday's early game, 2-0 to advance as well.