BEVERLY, Mass. — The second-seeded Endicott women's soccer team advanced past sixth-seeded Suffolk on penalty kicks, 4-3, in Wednesday night's Conference of New England (CNE) Semifinal matchup from Hempstead Stadium.
After a scoreless first 90 minutes of play in which Endicott outshot Suffolk 15-3 (6-2 on net), the two teams headed to overtime.
The overtime format consisted of two 10-minute halves with a golden goal opportunity, meaning that the first team to score wins in walk-off fashion.
In the first overtime period, the Blue and Green outpaced the Rams. Madeline Barbieri (Cranston, R.I.) nearly ended it with a blast from 30 yards out in the 96th minute, but the ball drilled the crossbar, continuing the marathon. Just a few minutes later, with the clock dwindling down, Sofia Agudelo (Avon, Conn.) headed a ball on net, but Arden Rose (Fremont, Calif.) scooped it up to send it to the second overtime.
Through the second overtime, neither team could muster up a legitimate scoring opportunity, and the contest headed to penalty kicks.
Endicott converted its final four penalty kick attempts off the feet of Rhiann Dugan (West Boylston, Mass.), Alyssa McColl (Stoughton, Mass.), Gabrielle Klindtworth (Guilderland, N.Y.), and Olivia Pardo (Latham, N.Y.) to clinch a CNE Championship berth.
Samantha MacCormack (Danvers, Mass.) delivered in the clutch, as she turned away a pivotal Suffolk penalty shot to swing the tides in Endicott's favor.
The dramatic penalty shootout came to a close after the Rams skied their sixth and final attempt, sending the Gulls through to Saturday's championship.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Gulls hold a 5-0-3 record in the all-time series against the Rams.
- 10th consecutive conference semifinal appearance for Endicott.
- Third conference championship berth in the last six seasons for the Gulls.
- Through all six periods of play, the Gulls outshot the Rams 21-4.
- First penalty shootout for Endicott since 11/6/19 (CCC Semifinals vs Gordon; Endicott advanced 5-3).
WHAT'S NEXT
Second-seeded Endicott (10-7-2) heads to Hartford on Saturday for the CNE Championship match. Sixth-seeded Suffolk (10-3-6) sees its 2025 season come to a close.