Endicott Falls to Rochester 2-1 in Opening Match of Flower City Soccer Tournament

ROCHESTER, N.Y.-  After being shut out in the first half and falling behind 2-0, the Gulls knew they had a fight on their hands in the second half.  Nicole Fournier (Milford, Mass.) scored in the 60th minute to cut the deficit in half but that was all the offense either team could muster.  The game ended with a 2-1 final with Rochester (1-0-0) topping Endicott (0-1-0) in the first match of the season for both squads.  

Ashley Mueskes (Georgetown, Mass.) had the Gulls second best scoring opportunity which came with 11:37 left on the clock.  Mueskes rifled a shot on net that forced Rochester's goalie to sprawl out and deflect the hard shot to preserve the lead for Yellowjackets.  Both teams finished with an even 10 shots but Rochester held the edge 6-4 for shots on goal.  Endicott keeper Katie Donnelly (Madison, Conn.) recorded four saves in the team's season debut while Allison Bernstein (West Chester, Pa.) recorded three.

The game was a physical affair as the two teams combined to record 20 fouls with Rochester accountable for 14.  Fournier led Endicott in most offensive categories in the game as she tallied three shots, two of which were on goal.  Sophomore Paige Marinelli (Burlington, Conn.) was also heavily involved in the offense as she recorded two shots and one on frame.  Hannah Schneidenbach (Charlestown, R.I.) and Mueskes recorded the other lone shots for the Gulls.  

After a first half that saw the Yellowjackets control the pace of the match, Endicott was able to counter and controlled the ball while also generating more offense.  The Gulls had two corners early in the period and then were able to break through at 58:50 when Fournier found the back of the net.  She was able to strip the Rochester defender of the ball 30 yards out and then fired a low shot past Bernstein to make the score 2-1.

Head coach Jodi Kenyon stated, "We came out a little timid and we weren't engaged early.  The second half, we were a completely different team.  Ashley Mueskes had a great run and was one on one with the keeper.  Her shot went far post but the keeper made a great save.  This game was really the tale of two halves."

The Gulls look to rebound tomorrow in day two of the Flower City Soccer Tournament as they take on Union at noon.