Women’s Soccer Stymies Endicott 3-0, Clinches Home Playoff Game

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College women's soccer team locked up a home playoff contest after defeating Endicott 3-0 for the first time in program history Tuesday evening at Veterans Memorial Stadium in the regular-season finale.

The Lions wrap up the regular season with a 9-9-0 overall record while attaining the team's highest-ever finish in the Commonwealth Coast Conference with a 6-3-0 mark to claim third-place. The Gulls sink to 10-4-4 on the year and finish in second place in the league standings with a 6-2-1 record.

Eastern Nazarene owns the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament and will host sixth-seeded Western New England in the quarterfinal round November 1 at Veterans Memorial Stadium at 11 am. The match will mark the second-ever home playoff game in program history.

The home team netted the match's opening score in the 36th minute to gain a 1-0 lead. Katherine Lawrence (Marlborough, Conn.) pounced on a loose ball at the top of the penalty area and tucked a right-footed shot into the lower right corner of the cage. Kelly Couite (West Bridgewater, Mass.) picked up her third assist of the season on Lawrence's third tally of the fall.

Eastern Nazarene carried the 1-0 advantage into the halftime intermission despite Endicott holding an 8-4 margin in shots through 45 minutes of play.

The Lions tacked on their second goal of the game in the 70th minute to extend their lead to 2-0. Hannah Scahill (Quaker Hill, Conn.) latched onto the end of a free kick delivery from Jules Speno (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) and knocked in her team-best seventh marker of the year.

The hosts widened the gap to 3-0 in the 80th minute. After Lawrence's shot attempted was knocked down by the Gulls goalkeeper, Speno swooped in to poke the ball into the back of the net for her fourth of the season.

Eastern Nazarene clamped down on defense in the final 10 minutes of the game to secure its first-ever win over Endicott. The Lions were 0-14-1 all-time versus the Gulls heading into the contest and had scored just one goal in the previous 15 matches.

Eastern Nazarene concluded the contest with nine shots while the visitors fired 14 total shots. Each side earned three corner kicks on the night.

Junior Kristen Farley (Westminster, Mass.) turned aside two shots in goal for the Lions in the victory. Katie Donnelly made a pair of saves between the pipes for Endicott.