Boston, Mass. – Junior Madeline Cheney (Bow, N.H.) scored the game-winner two minutes into overtime to lead the Endicott College women's soccer team over Wentworth Institute of Technology, 1-0, Saturday afternoon at Sweeney Field.
Before kickoff, the Wentworth women's soccer team celebrated the careers of its graduating seniors, Grace McGrath (Warwick, R.I.), Taylor Patti (Pittsfield, Mass.), Christie Fleming (Braintree, Mass.), Danielle McDonnell (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) and Madyson Reno (Superior, Colo.). We join the women's soccer team in thanking these five players for their leadership, dedication, and hard work while at Wentworth.
Endicott dominated possession for a majority of the match, and held a 23-4 advantage in shots, including a 10-1 advantage in shots on net.
After an uneventful first half, Endicott put the pressure on with 17 shots after the halftime buzzer. The Leopards, however, packed it in and played lockdown defense, directed by senior goalkeeper Christie Fleming (Braintree, Mass.), to keep the Gulls at bay. In the final 30 minutes, Endicott had plenty of offensive chances, including a shot by sophomore Jillian Presser (Trumbull, Conn.) in the 70th minute that ricocheted off the crossbar, then bounced off the near-post, and into Fleming's gloves.
The Gulls nearly put the game away in the 89th minute, as junior Catherine Elkas (Holden, Mass.) fired a shot on net that was batted away by Fleming. Junior Samantha Lello (Shelton, Conn.) collected the rebounded ball and wound up for the game-winning chance, but was denied from a defensive block, before Cheney took a final shot that soared high above the crossbar sending both teams into overtime.
Endicott needed just over two minutes to put the game away, as Lello lofted a perfectly placed corner kick into the six-yard-box, which Cheney redirected past Fleming's fingertips.
Fleming made ten saves in the setback, just one away from a career-high, while Gulls' keeper Kayla Wentworth stopped the only Leopards' shot on net.
Wentworth (6-7-2, 1-3-1 CCC) resumes conference action on Wednesday, and closes out a five-game homestand with a 4:00 p.m. match against Salve.
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