NEWPORT, R.I. - Freshman Cassie DeSimone (Southington, Conn.) scored her second goal of the season on a penalty stroke with 5:50 remaining in the second half to life Endicott College to a 2-1 win over Salve Regina University in The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) field hockey action Tuesday afternoon at the Lawrence Avenue Field.

DeSimone lifted a shot that clanked off the back left post behind Salve Regina senior goalkeeper Devin Eppley (Darien, Conn.) to propel the Gulls (9-6, 5-1 TCCC) to their fifth-straight win. Freshman Kelly Burke (Georgetown, Mass.) scored her team-leading 12th goal of the season for the Seahawks, who fell to 6-8 (1-5 TCCC) on the season.

Sophomore Lauren Atkinson (Southbury, Conn.) scored the only goal of the first half at 20:26 to give Endicott a 1-0 lead. She controlled the ball into the circle and fired a thigh-high shot from about 10 yards out than beat Eppley to the stick side. The half concluded with the Seahawks holding a slim 3-2 edge in shots and an 8-2 edge in penalty corners.

The Seahawks tied the game midway through the second half on a play started by senior co-captain Andrea Michel (Yarmouth, Maine). Michel carried the ball on the right side of the field and into the circle, then centered a pass that was backhanded in by Burke at 50:13.

Endicott dominated the shots on goal in the second half as it fired off 13 shots compared to two for Salve Regina, which brought the final count to 15-5 in favor of the Gulls. Eppley finished with five saves for the Seahawks while freshman Taylor Teixeira (Exeter, N.H.) recorded one save to earn her ninth win of the season for Endicott.

The contest was part of the Susan G. Komen 'Play 4 the Cure' campaign. Members of the Seahawks wore breast cancer awareness bands with the campaign slogan 'Play 4 the Cure' inscribed on them, and a pink ball was used during the contest. Additionally, fans and student-athletes who donated money to the campaign were invited onto the field following the contest and were allowed to take a penalty stroke against one of the three Salve Regina goalkeepers.

The Seahawks return to action on Saturday when they travel to Gordon for a 1 p.m. contest. Endicott hosts New England College Saturday at 1 p.m.