Hartford, Conn. – The Trinity College Bantams lost a non-conference game for the first time since 2011, falling, 2-1, against the visiting Endicott College Gulls in men's soccer action this evening on Trinity Soccer Field.  Trinity drops to 1-4 with its third setback in a row, while the Gulls improve to 4-1-1.  Trinity will visit New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) rival Colby on Saturday.  Prior to tonight; Trinity was 19-0-4 in its last 23 non-conference games including a 2-1 overtime triumph at Endicott last fall.

Trinity fell behind, 2-0, less than a minute into the second half, but outshot the Gulls, 12-3, the rest of the way and nearly tied it in the final 10 minutes.  Bantam first-year back Henry Belt (Brookline, Mass.) pushed a pass behind Endicott freshman goalkeeper Cameron Stockdale (Durham, Conn.) and senior tri-captain Cody Savonen (Orleans, Mass.) knocked the ball into an empty net to make the score, 2-1, in the 79th minute.  Bantam rookie back Chris Monnes (West Hartford, Conn.) also assisted on the play.  Savonen nearly tied it moments later but was whistled for offside after his shot had gone in.  Trinity first-year midfielder Avee Vadgama (London, England) had a hard shot from the top of the box blocked by a Gull defender and Stockdale saved the final Trinity shot on goal with 4:25 left in the contest.

Endicott controlled the ball for the majority of the first half, nearly scoring 10 minutes into the game when Bantam senior tri-captain goalkeeper Mateo Zabala (Medellin, Colombia) stopped Gull sophomore midfielder Jesse Martinez (Walpole, Mass.) with a diving one-on-one stop.  Trinity took its first shot-on-goal in the 33rd minute, a rolling ball by rookie midfielder John Mullin (Falmouth, Maine) that was saved by Stockdale, and the Gulls took a 1-0 lead moments later when junior forward Victor DaCosta (Rehoboth, Mass.) received a quick pass ahead in traffic from senior forward Diego Maillo (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and deposited the ball into the net with 9:31 left in the first stanza.  The Bantams almost tied it at 1-1 in the final minute, as a Savonen shot from the right flank was saved and rookie forward Patrick Kennedy (East Weymouth, Mass.) attempted to knock the rebound in from close range but his kick sailed high. 

Just 34 seconds after the break, Endicott junior back Bob Ivatts (Walpole, Mass.) threw the ball into the box from the right corner and senior back Ryan Cohane (Easton, Conn.) won the battle for the ball and headed it in for a 2-0 Gull advantage.  Trinity senior Scott Brazina (Concord, Mass.) answered quickly with a hard shot from the right wing a minute later and a near-identical one in the 55th minute, but Stockdale saved both.  Trinity first-years Alistair Matule (Charlestown, Mass.) and David Luongo (Danvers, Mass.) both missed just wide with headers from the left wing in the second half, and Stockdale stopped a blast by Bantam sophomore Michael Burns (Oreland, Pa.) from the top of the box in the 75th minute.

Trinity finished with a 16-to-14 shooting edge, after a 9-to-4 deficit in the first half, and were awarded five of the game's six corner kicks in the second frame.  Zabala finished with six saves and Stockdale had nine for the Gulls.