BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. – Behind another solid effort on both ends of the field, the UMass Dartmouth football team shutout Massachusetts Maritime Academy, 34-0 in MASCAC action on Friday under the lights of Clean Harbors Field. The Corsairs move to 5-0 on the season with a 4-0 conference mark, while the Buccaneers are now 2-3 overall and 2-2 in the MASCAC.
Opening quarter action saw the Corsairs receive the ball first, driving down the field on a 10-play, 56-yard effort that culminated with a five-yard pass from graduate student quarterback Dante Aviles-Santos to senior wide receiver Angel Sanchez in the back of the endzone at 10:35.
After holding the Buccaneers scoreless on their drive, UMass Dartmouth took over and once again pushed down the field. Aided by a 16-yard rush and a 10-yard reception from junior running back Kevin Brown, the Corsairs added their second score at the opening of the second quarter at 14:14.
The Corsairs 11-play, 83-yard drive saw Aviles-Santos scrambling to find a receiver as he tossed it toward the endzone. As many thought the ball was going out of bounds, junior wide receiver Jael Cabrera leaped and came down into the endzone for the 13-0 lead.
On the next possession for the Corsairs, the duo of Aviles-Santos and Sanchez connected once again, combining for 42 of the 61 yards in the drive. Sanchez wrapped up the play with a 16-yard catch with sophomore kicker Alex Moses nailing the PAT for a 20-0 lead.
Following another turnover on downs by the Buccaneers, the Corsairs took over at their own 15-yard line with 2:35 left in the half. UMass Dartmouth used that momentum, converting a 4th-and-1 that ended the drive with a 58-yard rushing touchdown from Brown with 32 seconds to play. Rookie Connor McManus converted the extra-point, sending UMassD into halftime with the 27-0 advantage.
In the third quarter, the Corsairs added to their advantage with 4:23 remaining on the clock as a 55-yard drive down the field ended with a six-yard pass from Aviles-Santos to junior Naseim Harrison. The wide receiver leaped over his defender in the back corner of the endzone, making a spectacular one-handed grab to move the score to 34-0 following the successful PAT from Moses.
Fourth quarter action saw both teams have their chances, but neither could find the endzone as the Corsairs secured their fourth MASCAC victory of the season.
Aviles-Santos threw for 220 yards on the night, going 23-of-35 overall with four touchdowns, while Sanchez hauled in nine catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Brown posted 76 yards on five carries, while senior rusher Jalyn Aponte posted 54 yards on the night. Defensively, senior lineback and captain Mike Henricksen paced the way, notching a game-high 10 tackles, including five solo. He had two tackles for a loss of four yards. Sophomore defensive lineman Michael Deleon added eight tackles, including a game-best six solo, while fifth-year linebacker Jackson Wellman had seven tackles. Moses was 3-for-3 in point-after attempts, while McManus was 1-for-2 in PATs.
Overall, the Corsairs posted 220 passing yards and 134 rushing yards for 354 yards of total offense. UMassD held the Buccaneers to 234 yards of offense, including zero passing yards on the night.
UMass Dartmouth returns to action on Saturday, October 19, traveling to Worcester State University for a 12pm MASCAC game against the Lancers.