Box Score
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – The Ephs were not able to overcome a 5-0 halftime deficit as they fell to Endicott College 12-6. Will Stewart '13 was a bright spot for Williams as he continued his strong showing this season with 3 goals today.
Endicott's Chris Gugino started the run with a score off a John Thanas assist. The Gulls tallied two more goals in the first quarter with scores from Thanas and Kyle Jordan. Meanwhile, the Eph offense managed only three shots.
Both defenses held their own in the second quarter, but Endicott's Chris Cotter found Justin Sproul with 1:12 remaining in the half. The Gulls capped off their run with another Kyle Jordan goal with four seconds showing on the clock. Endicott outshot Williams 23-8 in the first half.
Will Stewart put the Ephs on the scoreboard with a goal 29 seconds into the third quarter off a Matt Cranshaw '11 assist. But the Gulls responded as they would repeatedly do in the second half. Endicott's Chris Cotter scored his only goal on the day to keep the margin at five.
The Ephs took advantage of a Jon Thanas slash to score their second goal in the game. Cranshaw tallied another assist as he found fellow senior Tommy Murray '11. Endicott's Connor McCormack scored to stem the Ephs momentum.
The Ephs extra-man offense was another bright spot in the losing effort as they scored their second goal of the day on three opportunities. Murray found Stewart for his second of the day. Endicott's Peter Erickson responded with a goal as time expired in the third to make the lead 8-3 heading into the final quarter.
Stewart again started off the quarter with a quick goal to cut the lead to four with 13:19 remaining. The Ephs would not get any closer. Endicott's Connor McCormack and Brian Estes put the game out of reach with scores of their own. Both teams would manage two more goals in the remaining time, making the final score 12-6 in favor of Endicott.
Ben Bourke '12 and Mike Ryan '12 were the other two goal-scorers for the Ephs and McCormack and Chris Gugino tallied the final two for Endicott.
Despite allowing 12 goals, Eph goalie Evan Cohen '12 also had 12 saves. Endicott's Mike Klein had 8 saves while giving up six goals.
Coach George McCormack admits that the Ephs are still a couple weeks behind after being plagued by injuries early in the season. Despite the return of Cranshaw and Ryan, the Ephs hope Sam Hargrove '12 will be ready for action soon. As a result, McCormack notes, "We're still evolving as an offense."
Coach McCormack continues to view his team optimistically after strong performances from both the man-up and man-down squads. The Eph extra-man offense was 2 for 3 on the day while the man-down defense did not concede a goal. McCormack added, "We just gave up too many transition goals down the stretch."
With the loss, Williams falls to 1-4 on the season while Endicott improved to 4-2.
The Ephs return to action Saturday against Trinity in Hartford at 1:00 pm.
Coach McCormack concluded, "We're still waiting for our best lacrosse as we get into NESCAC play."
