BEVERLY, Mass. – Despite scoring the first goal of the game for the second game in a row, Endicott again gave up the next two scores and dropped a 2-1 decision to Roger Williams on Saturday afternoon in the first Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action for either team this season.

Endicott and Roger Williams each see their record even up at the .500 mark. The Gulls slip to 3-3 on the year, while the Hawks improve to 2-2-1 while getting an early season conference victory.

Endicott freshman Paige Marinelli (Burlington, Conn.) scored her second goal of the season nearly half an hour into the game with a brilliant strike from the edge of the box to put the home team out front. The play was set up by the hustle of sophomore Hannah Schneidenbach (Charlestown, R.I.), who picked up her second assist of the year. Schneidenbach beat her defender to the ball on the sideline and booted it into the center of the field where Marinelli ran onto it and connected with her blast.

Hawks junior midfielder Katie Lydon (Riverside, R.I.) had a goal and an assist for the visitors, scoring her first goal of the year on the blistering shot from the corner of the box, tying the game at a goal apiece just shy of the hour mark.

Mariah Kaiser (Portsmouth, R.I.) scored the game-winning goal with just 13 minutes remaining, taking an assist from Haley Carignan (Scarborough, Maine) that put her free in the middle of the box. Lydon earned the second assist by playing the ball into space for Carignan, running up the right side.

The game, a rematch of the previous two CCC championship contests, saw Endicott control most of the possession and continue their trend of outshooting their opponents, this time by an 11-6 margin.

Endicott goalie Natalie Wyrsch (Dover, N.H.) made two stops, while Hawks keepr Stephanie Jacques (Burlington, Vt.) made three stops in net for Roger Wiliams.

The Gulls still hold a 15-8-1 advantage in their all-time series against Roger Williams, but continue their recent struggles, slipping to 0-4-1 in their previous five matchups.

“We knew what was expected from us and how important this game was to both teams,” said Head Coach Tim Moody. “Friday's practice got us in the right mindset to compete on Endicott's turf. We focused on our jobs as well as responsibilities and held them off for most of the game. With Endicott as the home team, we expected them to come out and attack which allowed us to hit them on the counter.

“Giving up the goal was disappointing because our keeper didn't have to make any difficult saves. Jaques doesn't give up many goals. We came into the game more towards the end of the first half and Tate had a great opportunity from Hannah's corner, but put her header over the bar. Haley came on and helped link up the play between the midfield and forwards.

“We went back to work in the second half and got our just rewards. Jessie broke up the play and the ball fell nicely to Katie who hit a beautiful strike from the corner of the 18 into the top corner. We gained more self-belief and continued to hit Endicott down the channels. The winner came from some great combination play down the middle this time between Jessie and Katie. The ball found Haley on the edge of the box. She turned onto it, shaped up to shoot but picked out Mariah. She was not picked up and therefore it was an easy tap in to the bottom corner. It was great play by the two freshmen.

“We then shut up shop, and played out the remaining time to get a huge win. The freshmen are getting to understand the commitment needed to play in college and the returning players are stepping up their roles as leaders on the team.”

Endicott will finish its three-game home-stand when it returns to non-conference action Tuesday afternoon with a 4:00 PM match against Lesley.

At the same time, Roger Williams continues its season-long four game road trip, playing their second game away from Bristol, R.I. when they travel to MIT.

- Release courtesy of the Endicott College Sports Information Department