STANDISH, Maine – Endicott College (2-3-0) defeated Saint Joseph's College (1-4-0), 2-0, in a non-conference men's soccer match at Westerlea Way Field on Sunday afternoon.

The teams played even during a stretch of nearly 40 minutes in the opening half, but the visiting Gulls took advantage of a failed clearing attempt to break the scoreless tie at the 39:39 mark.

After intercepting a clear bid, Brayden Nielsen (Essex Junction, Vt.) sent a lofting pass into the box, finding Connor Gibbs (Westborough, Mass.), who played the ball off his chest down to his right foot and rocketed a turn-around kick to the right corner of the Monks' net. Saint Joseph's junior keeper Scott Benner (Post Falls, Idaho) made a diving save attempt, but had little chance on the perfect strike by Gibbs.

The Monks had several opportunities to score first, as senior Garrett Darnell (Gray, Maine) was denied by Endicott netminder Alex Jorge (Billerica, Mass.) with a diving stop in the 16th minute and a header from sophomore Victor Santos (Framingham, Mass.), on a corner kick by Jack Murray (Hingham, Mass.), sailed wide left on the ensuing play.

In the first half, Endicott held a slim 6-5 lead in shots while Saint Joseph's posted a 3-2 advantage in corner kicks. Benner made three stops in goal for the hosts while Jorge made four saves for the Gulls in the first 45 minutes of play.

The Gulls' 1-0 edge remained until the 74th minute when junior Diego Slobotzky (Mexico City, Mexico) potted his second goal of the season. Nielson added his second assist of the game as the freshman, controlling the ball on the right about 40 yards out, sent a through kick that was redirected by Slobotzky into the left corner. Senior keeper Robert Petrosillo (Methuen, Mass.) - who entered the game to start the second stanza - was screened by Slobotzky, as the striker simultaneously streaked through the box and flicked the ball into the net on a perfectly timed play.

Overall, Endicott held a 15-7 advantage in shots while Saint Joseph's held a 5-2 lead in corner kicks on the afternoon. Petrosillo recorded three stops in the second half while Jorge registered his second-consecutive shutout with five saves on the day.

With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 1-8 in the history of the series with Endicott College. The Gulls have recorded five shutouts versus the Monks in the nine-game set.

Saint Joseph's returns to action with a non-conference contest at University of Southern Maine at 4:00 PM on Wednesday while Endicott is off until next Saturday when the Gulls open Commonwealth Coast Conference play with a home match against University of New England at 7:00 PM.

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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.