BOSTON, Mass. – For the first time in 13 contests, the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's soccer team suffered a defeat as the Leopards fell to Endicott, 2-0, in a Commonwealth Coast Conference contest Saturday afternoon on Sweeney Field.
Wentworth, which entered the game with an 8-0-4 record in its last 12 games, lost for the first time since dropping a 2-1 decision to Mass. Maritime on Sept. 7 and falls to 10-3-4 overall and 6-1-1 in CCC play. The Gulls improve to 10-5-2 overall and 7-1-0 in league play.
The first half was a tight and physical battle by both clubs. Sophomore Noah Martins (Dartmouth, Mass.) had a pair of attempts in a span of 1:24, both of which were denied by senior keeper Nike Weinstein (Trumbull, Conn.). Endicott had two chances within 15 seconds of each other, however sophomore Joe Schallmo (Norwood, Mass.) came up with two stops to keep the game scoreless.
Late in the half, Leopard sophomore James Morrison (New South Wales, Australia) nearly put Wentworth on top with an acrobatic line-drive from the top of the 18-yard box which Weinstein stopped. The game remained tied at the break with Endicott holding a 10-9 shot advantage.
The game remained scoreless until the 61:35 mark when freshman Evan Couchot (Mason, Ohio) scored the first of his two goals on the afternoon. Sophomore Bobby Ivatts (Walpole, mass.) sent a ball to Couchot in front which was slipped past Schallmo.
Wentworth battles in search of the equalizer, however would not have a scoring chance before Couchot provided Endicott with an insurance goal with 10:50 remaining in the contest. Junior Dario Neukom (Palma de Mallorca, Spain) launched a throw-in towards the direction of Couchot, who headed it past Schallmo.
Weinstein made six saves to pick up the shutout while Schallmo turned aside 10 shots in the loss. Endicott had advantages in shots (21-12) and corner kicks (4-2).
The Leopards conclude the regular season on Tuesday evening at the University of New England while the Gulls head to Gordon on Tuesday night. Both games will have an impact on the top three seeds for the upcoming CCC Tournament.
