BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott defense recorded four interceptions and held Maine Maritime's No. 5 nationally ranked rushing offense 60 yards under its season average on Saturday afternoon at Hempstead Stadium to secure a 37-14 win over the Mariners.
Senior corner back Lawrence Gonzalez (Bedford, Mass.) set the tone for the Gulls' defense on the Mariners third play of the matchup's opening drive with a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown to put Endicott ahead 7-0 just 1:25 into the game.
After both teams exchanged possessions following Endicott's defensive touchdown, Maine Maritime evened the score at 7-7 with an eight-play, 62-yard drive over a 3:54 span that culminated in a three-yard touchdown run for senior quarter back Michael Fahey (Union, Conn.).
Endicott sophomore tight end Jacob Simons (Barrington, R.I.) eventually answered for the Gulls in the second quarter (6:53) with a nine-yard TD reception from sophomore quarter back Sam Ouellette (Rochester, N.H.) to take a 14-7 advantage. Ouellette connected with Simons on a play action fake in the right corner of the end zone.
The Gulls then proceeded to use that momentum to outscore the Mariners 10-0 down the stretch and post a 24-7 lead headed into the break.
In the second half, Endicott's defense limited Maine Maritime to one touchdown – a two-yard TD run by sophomore full back James Ferrar (Cumberland, Maine)at 1:09 of the third quarter – despite losing the time of possession matchup 15:49-14:11. Prior to the Mariners third quarter score, the Gulls shutout Maine Maritime on the scoreboard for a span of 33 minutes and 35 seconds to lock up the win.
ENDICOTT OFFENSE
- The Gulls compiled 369 yards of total offense, its third highest total this season.
- Endicott amassed 124 yards on the ground and 245 yards through the air.
- Ouellette went 15-for-31, and compiled 245 yards and one TD.
- Simons finished the afternoon with two receptions for 24 yards and his TD reception in the second quarter.
- Chris Lipscomb (West Springfield, Mass.) tallied a team-high 136 all-purpose yards to go along with 4 receptions for 77 yards and one rushing attempt for 43 yards. His 43-yard rushing attempt came off a fake punt on fourth-and-two at Endicott's 40-yard line that kept Simons' touchdown drive alive.
- Senior fullback Spencer Walsh (Melrose, Mass.) rushed 11 times for 47 yards and a touchdown (2nd quarter, 2:03, 21-7 lead).
- Junior kicker Kyle Regan (Nashua, N.H.) converted all four of his PAT attempts and went 3-for-3 on his field goal attempts on the afternoon. (22-yards, 32-yards, 33-yards).
- Sophomore full back Lavante Wiggins (Dalton, Mass.) collected 17 yards on the ground and also punched home a one-yard TD run to cap the scoring for the Gulls with 1:19 remaining in the contest.
MAINE MARITIME OFFENSE
- The Mariners entered today's matchup ranked No. 5 in the country in rushing offense averaging 344.4 yards per game. Endicott held Maine Maritime to 283 yards rushing on 64 attempts.
- Ferrar led all rushers with 144 yards and one touchdown (7th career).
- Fahey's final stat line including 72 yards rushing (one td, 34th career), four pass completions, 67 passing yards, and three interceptions.
- Sophomore running back Jacob Doolan (Fairfield, Maine), who had 54 yards rushing on nine attempts, registered the Mariners' other interception late in the third quarter.
- Freshman wide receiver Derek Breunig (Westbrook, Maine) caught two passes for 52 yards.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Gulls are now 4-1 in the all-time series against Maine Maritime, which dates back to 2007.
- Endicott has outscored the Mariners 173-105 (43.25 scoring average for the Gulls) in its four wins.
- The last four meetings have produced 278 points (69.5 scoring average combined between both teams).
BE A POSITIVE INFLUENCE
- Gonzalez has now recorded a pick-6 in back-to-back contests for the Gulls (Salve Regina, 10/17/15).
- Gonzalez, Connor McLaughlin (Canton, Mass.), Mike Romanelli (Lighthouse Point, Fla.), and Christian Pizzotti (Melrose, Mass.) all had interceptions in the win.
- McLaughlin led all student-athletes with a career-high 14 tackles (six solo, eight assisted, 0.5 TFL).
- Thomas Johnson (Pembroke, Mass.) and John Pendergast (Medfield, Mass.) ranked second on the team with 13 tackles apiece (both career-highs).
- The Gulls red zone defense stopped Maine Maritime twice out of four chances in the victory. Endicott's red zone defense entered today's game ranked 46th in the country.
- Endicott's rushing defense entered play 32nd in the country among all NCAA Division III programs (107.3 yards per game).
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (3-4, 3-1 NEFC) travels to Springfield, Mass. next Saturday to take on Western New England University at 1 p.m. Maine Maritime (1-5, 0-4 NEFC) hosts Curry on Saturday, October 31 at 12 p.m.