Springfield, Mass. - November 5, 2022 - The Springfield College football team held on for a 16-14 victory over MIT in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) on Stagg Field on Saturday afternoon.
Playing on Stagg Field for the seventh and final time this regular season, the Pride improved to 7-2, 5-0 in conference play, while the Engineers dropped to 2-6, 0-5.
The Pride held the ball for 37:47 in the game as it rushed for 323 yards and ran 76 offensive plays. Dante Vasquez (Rockland, Mass.) led the Pride with 106 rushing yards and scored the hosts lone touchdown of the game, while Christian Hutra (Holmes, N.Y.) delivered three field goals, including what would prove to be the game-winner on a 46-yard boot in the fourth quarter. Joe Maurer (Wilbraham, Mass.) produced a pair of second-half interceptions to go along with four tackles to lead Springfield's defense.
With his three field goals, Hutra became the program's all-time career leader in field goals, as he bested John Welling's mark of 23 that had stood since 1986. Hutra, who now has 24 field goals in his career, has 10 this season, which ties Welling's single-season mark from 1985.
Springfield would force MIT off the field in just three plays on their first drive and responded with the game's first score as Vasquez took a pitch to the right and tip-toed along the sideline before cutting inside for a 46-yard score to give the hosts a 7-0 lead at the 10:46 mark. The Engineers would answer back for their first touchdown of the game on a nine-yard pass from Chase Harmon to Jonathan Berger with 8:01 on the clock to cap off a drive the was extended on a 29-yard snag by Dennis Gastel on 3rd and 2.
The Pride then manufactured a 10-play drive that took over five minutes off the clock and was culminated by Hutra drilling a 38 yard field goal with 2:48 remaining in the opening quarter of play. Following another MIT punt, Springfield would have the ball for the next nine-plus minutes, and its 16-play drive was finished with a 27 yard field goal by Hutra at the 5:54 mark. MIT would then take its first lead of the game as Gastel got behind the Pride's defense down the sideline for a 52-yard catch and run on third down to make it a 14-13 contest with 3:20 to play.
Neither team would score in the third, but it was Mauer who jumped a route with 3:11 left in the frame to give the Pride the ball at midfield. Seven plays later, Hutra would come up with the biggest kick of his career as he unleased a 46-yard field goal with 14:55 left in regulation for what would prove to be the game-winning score. MIT answered with their best drive of the day, going 67 yards on 13 plays in just over seven minutes, as they completed four third-down conversions. However, on first and goal from the Springfield eight yard line, Mauer managed to pick off Harmon in the back of the end zone to keep it a 16-14 contest.
On the ensuing drive, Springfield held the ball for just over six minutes thanks to three third-down conversions, including an incredible 13-yard run from David Wells (Huntington, Conn.) on third and 10, and a Hutra punt would later pin the Engineers inside their own 20 with 1:24 left in the clock. However, MIT would go 55 yards in two passing plays, but on third and eight from the Pride 25 yard line, the Engineers were flagged for intentional grounding following an incomplete pass. The would be game-winning field goal attempt from 48 yards into the wind would be short and wide right as Springfield was able to capture its fifth home victory of the year.
Next Saturday will determine the NEWMAC champion as Springfield will travel to Washington DC to clash with Catholic at 12 pm.
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