Endicott Women's Soccer Tabbed As Preseason Favorites In CCC

2014 Commonwealth Coast Conference Women's Soccer Preseason Poll

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) released their 2014 women's soccer preseason poll Wednesday morning and Endicott has been selected as the favorite as the reigning CCC champions with 95 total points and six first place votes. Coming in behind the Gulls are Roger Williams (86) and Gordon (81) with the Hawks receiving two first place votes and the Fighting Scots receiving one.

Rounding out the middle of the pack is the University of New England (62), Wentworth (56), Eastern Nazarene (52) and Western New England (38) while Curry (36), Salve Regina (24) and Nichols (20) close out the final three slots.  Voting for the preseason poll was conducted among the league's head women's soccer coaches.

The 2014 season will see the women's soccer team attempt to claim back-to-back Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) titles for the first time since the 2006-07 seasons after the Gulls won the 2013 title in dramatic fashion.  Following two overtime victories in both the Quarterfinal and Semifinal rounds of the CCC Tournament, Endicott edged cross-town rival Gordon in penalty kicks to advance to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Scranton and then lost to eventual NCAA DIII Semifinalist Middlebury 2-1 to finish the season with a 16-6-2 record.  The Gulls will look to lean on the experiences gained from that run to guide them through a tough schedule in 2014.

Returning All-CCC honorees goalie Katie Donnelly (Madison, Conn.), forward Jessica Joseph (Bedford, N.H.), midfielder LeeAnn Card (Paxton, Mass.), defender Clare Mansfield (Stoneham, Mass.) and forward Laura Wysocki (Somers, Conn.) gives the Gulls a wealth of returning talent that will look to blend with the incoming youth to once again chase the CCC title.  Endicott, who welcomes back its top six goal scorers from 2013, will use a difficult non-conference schedule to prepare the team for a long CCC season.

Head coach Jodi Kenyon, the 2013 CCC Coach of the Year, will look to her returners to provide leadership for a talented group of newcomers that will compete for playing time immediately while also readying themselves for the schedule that lies ahead.   "I am very much looking forward to blending a collection of hard working veterans and high caliber recruits," she stated.  "There is a good balance of athleticism, skillful playmaking and solid defending.  Every position on the field for us is deep with talent, skill and soccer intelligence that will provide an edge for us as we look to defend our title.   The biggest challenge for the coaching staff will be figuring out how each unit will work together effectively.

We have put together a very competitive non-league schedule that will help prepare us for the challenges we will face in conference.  Women's soccer in the CCC has become very competitive and every game is a great challenge.  We know that teams will bring their best against us and we will need to prepare for each game like it is a test, and always play to our potential." 

Endicott kicks off the new campaign at home with a match against RPI out of the Liberty League on the 31^st of August.  This will be the first ever contest between the Engineers and the Gulls.  Following their opening contest, the Gulls kick off September with a short trip across the harbor as the team travels to take on Salem State for their North Shore Cup contest.  The Gulls and Vikings played to a 1-1 draw in double overtime last season following two Endicott wins in the previous two.  That weekend, Endicott plays host to Keene State as the Gulls look to avenge a 2013 1-0 loss to the Owls before traveling to Smith the following Wednesday.  Endicott was able to take down Smith 5-0 in the first ever meeting between the schools in 2013 as four different players tallied a goal.

The women will return to the friendly confines of Endicott Stadium for a two match home stand as they kick of CCC play against the University of New England (UNE) on Saturday the 13^th at 4pm before hosting non-conference foe Wellesley at 7:00 pm.  The Gulls erupted for an 8-1 victory over UNE last season behind a hat trick from then freshman Jessica Joseph to improve to 13-8-1 against the Nor'Easters all-time.  In the second match of the home stand, Endicott welcomes the Blue of Wellesley to Beverly, a team that the Gulls are 4-2-1 against and have defeated in three consecutive seasons.  Over those three contests, Endicott has out-scored Wellesley 13-3.

Following the match against the Blue, the Gulls head on the road for two straight before returning home for two matches.  On the road, Endicott will face off against the Bison of Nichols on the 20^th for a CCC battle before heading to Babson on the 23^rd.  Endicott will be looking to run their win streak over the Bison to 15 straight, as the Gulls have outscored the Bison 36-5 in their last 14 meetings.  2013 saw an extremely close contest as the Gulls saw a first half goal provide all of the offense for the 1-0 victory.  Three days later, Endicott will travel to Babson to take on the Beavers who the Gulls defeated 2-1 in overtime in 2013.  In the six match history between the two squads, the series is split 3-3 with both teams registering six goals.

The tune-up against Babson will set the stage for Endicott's Homecoming match against bitter rival Roger Williams on Saturday the 27^th of September at 7pm under the lights.  The Gulls were able to snap a six match winless streak against the Hawks in 2013 via a 2-1 double overtime thriller in Bristol, R.I. Since 2003, the two squads have combined to bring home all 11 of the CCC titles over that time, with Endicott holding the 7-4 advantage in overall titles.  A quick turnaround then sees the Gulls host the Panthers of Plymouth State on Monday the 29^th.  Endicott was able to take down Plymouth State 2-0 last season in just the second meeting between the two programs. 

The Gulls will then have four days to prepare for a cross-town trip to take on the Fighting Scots of Gordon for their CCC and North Shore Cup battle to kick off October on the 4^th.  The Fighting Scots and Gulls faced off twice last season, meeting late in October in the regular season before meeting again in the CCC Championship match.  Endicott then travels to NESCAC foe Tufts for the fifth meeting between the two schools.  The Gulls are 1-2-1 against the Jumbos all-time as they fell in 2013, 3-0. Tufts enjoyed a 9-7 season in which they lost 2-1 to Middlebury, the same score and opponent Endicott eventually lost to in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

A third consecutive tough road match sees the Gulls travel to Western New England (WNE) to avenge a 2013 1-0 loss at the hands of the Golden Bears on the 11^th of October.  The loss was the first loss for the Gulls in the last nine meetings between the two programs. 

Following the contest against WNE, the Gulls return home for a three match stretch, the final three home contests in the 2014 regular season.  The first match pits the Gulls against the Beacons of UMass Boston, a team that Endicott has not faced off against in the last two seasons.  The Beacons are coming off a 2013 campaign that saw them finish with a 15-5 record overall and a Little East semifinal appearance.  The second match of the stand sees the Gulls play host to the Seahawks of Salve Regina.  Endicott has had success against Salve in their 20 matches played, posting a record of 18-1-1.  The last home match of the regular season will have the Gulls hosting CCC foe Curry for the 19^th meeting between the programs in history.  Over the previous 18, Endicott is 16-2 and has won the last eight straight, albeit needing an overtime period in two of the last three meetings.

The final two matches of the year puts Endicott on the road for CCC matches as they travel to Wentworth on the 25^th before heading to Eastern Nazarene on the 28^th to close out the regular season.  The Gulls saw Wentworth twice in 2013, winning 3-1 in the regular season before needing overtime to dispatch of the Leopards 1-0 in the CCC semifinals.  The Gulls close the regular season with a matchup against the Lions of Eastern Nazarene, a program that Endicott is 14-0-1 against all-time.   

"We feel the roster we have assembled features depth, veteran leadership, and a solid core of returning players that are worthy of all conference recognition," said Kenyon.  "The added depth of a solid group of rookies ready to step in and challenge for starting positions will help us in our goal to defend the conference title and return to the NCAA tournament.  Last year our team got a taste of the competition in the tournament and they are eager to push beyond the second round.   With the determination we have witnessed in preseason and the foundation that is being built, I believe this team is equipped to achieve their highest goals if they continue to tap into their potential.  

2014 CCC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll