BANGOR, ME—The Husson University Eagles Football team suffered a heartbreaking loss today to the Mustangs of Mount Ida College by a score of 25-23 at Winkin Complex. The game started with a ceremony to honor the Eagle Seniors for their last home game. Roderic Johnson (Sr., Bloomfield, CT), Justin Lindie (Sr., Winslow, ME), Vaughn Johnson (Sr., New Haven, CT) Mike Toothaker (Sr., Wilton, ME), Travis Barnies (Sr., Auburn, ME) and Kyle Romick (Sr., Chester, NH) were the seniors that were recognized today for their hard work and dedication to the Husson Football program over the last four years here.
Husson started the game with a bang on a 48-yard pass from Justin Lindie to Audie Murphy (So., Biddeford, ME) to bring them to the Mt. Ida 22 yard line. Jack Hersom (Jr., Sidney, ME) then completed his next two passes to Travis Barnies, one for a 20 yard gain and the other for the first touchdown of the afternoon. Husson had their extra point attempt blocked, leaving the score at 6-0. Mount Ida's first drive ended quickly after an interception by Kyle Vanidestine (Jr., Bangor, ME), giving the Eagles the ball back at the Mt. Ida 39 yard line. Husson would have to settle for a 30 yard field goal by kicker Lee Gustin (Fy., Dexter, ME) after they were stopped on 3rd and goal, increasing their lead to 9-0.
Mt. Ida answered the Eagles after a 3:02 drive with rushing by Paul Shaughnessy (Sr., Malden, Mass) and then a touchdown pass from quarterback Scott Drosendahl (So., East Aurora, NY) to Shaughnessy from 13 yards out. After a successful point after attempt, the Mustangs cut the lead to 9-7 in favor of Husson.
After a Husson three and out, Shaughnessy rushed for a total of 65 yards on Mt. Ida's next drive ultimately leading to a Mustang touchdown. The extra point attempt was no good, giving the Mustang's a 13-9 lead.
Continuing from the first quarter, the Eagles were able to score on a 12 yard completion from Jack Hersom to Roderic Johnson. The point after was successful, giving the Eagles their lead back with a score of 16-13. Mount Ida's next drive resulted in a three and out giving the Eagles the ball back. Jack Hesom connected big to Audie Murphy for 27 yards, followed by another big completion from Hersom to Travis Barnies bringing them to the Mt. Ida 37. After multiple successful rushing carries by Justin Lindie and Byron Jackson (So., Bridgeport, CT), Lindie took a seven yard rush into the end zone and with a successful point after, Husson increased their lead to 23-13.
Eagle Tom Hersom (Jr., Sidney, ME) got Husson the ball back by forcing Paul Shaughnessy to fumble the ball, recovering the ball at the Husson 45 yard line. This would result to a first down by the Eagles, flowed by a 10 yard loss on a sack by Mustang Michael Brockenberry (So., West Haven, CT). The Eagles then turned the ball over on a 4-11 incomplete pass by Jack Hersom, giving the Mustangs the ball back at their own 40 yard line. Paul Shaughnessy came up big again with a 30 yard rush giving Mt. Ida the ball at the Eagle 20 yard line. After a 15 yard pass to Nick Lynch (Jr., Hampton Bays, NY), the Mustangs scored on a 1st and goal on a 5-yard Shaughnessy rush. The missed extra point made the score 23-19, giving the Eagles the lead at halftime.
Midway through the 3rd quarter, the Mustangs would take a 25-23 lead over the Eagles thanks to strong offense by quarterback Scott Drosendahl, Paul Shaughnessy, and receiver Nick Lynch. Shaughnessy took the ball 46 yards to the end zone for his 3rd touchdown of the day. Strong defense by both teams throughout the rest of the game would finalized the score at 25-23. The Eagles are now 1-8 on the year; however the Mustangs improve to 5-3. The Husson Eagles will take on Becker College at Becker next Saturday, November 6 at 12:00 noon for their final game of the year.