Gulls Fly by Vikings

BEVERLY, MASS. – This afternoon, Salem State women's soccer took the short trip to Beverly, Massachusetts to face Endicott College for a non- conference matchup. A strong first half performance by the Gulls' offense carried Endicott to a 4-1 victory over the Vikings.

Jenna Mitza (Tyngsboro, Mass.) scored the lone goal for the Vikings off an assist from McKenna Gilligan (Salem, Mass.) while the Gulls saw their four goals score by four seperate players.

The Gulls wasted no time getting on the scoreboard after Ella Morgan (Salem, Mass.) converted a pass from teammate Grace Jewett (Millis, Mass.) to give her team the early 1-0 lead. Shortly after, Endicott added to their lead after Julia Matus (East Greenwich, R.I.) found the back of the net to give the Gulls the 2-0 tilt with just over thirty minutes to go in the first half. The Gulls offensive pressure persisted, firing off eight shots, before Lindsey Papa (Tolland, Conn.) scored her first goal of the season with only nine ticks left on the clock to give Endicott the 3-0 advantage going into the half.

The Gulls extended their lead to four ten minutes into the second half before Gilligan found Mitza who knocked one over the keeper's head to give the Vikings their first goal of the game and bring her team within three with 20 minutes to play. The three-goal cushion would prove to be enough as the Gulls went on to take the eventual 4-1 victory over the Vikings.

Kelsey Francis (Peabody, Mass.) made six saves in her first career start as a Viking.