CAMBRIDGE, MA – On Saturday afternoon at MIT, the Maritime College football team jumped out to a 20-0 lead midway through the third quarter. After the Engineers (2-5, 0-5 New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference) got within a touchdown, the Privateers (5-2, 3-1 NEWMAC) used an eight-play drive to run out the clock and notch a 20-14 victory at Steinbrenner Stadium. It was Maritime's third straight win.
The Privateers' defense stopped MIT on 4
th-and-3 from the Maritime 18 with 11:01 remaining in the second quarter. On the ensuing Maritime possession, the Privateers moved 50 yards in two plays, getting a 21-yard run from
Steven Stassi (East Islip, NY) and a 28-yard rush from
Devin Cline (Miller Place, NY) that brought them to the MIT 19. Stassi capped the 14-play, 82-yard march with a 5-yard TD strike to
Ian Derda (Guilford, CT).
After receiving the second half kickoff, the Privateers needed just two plays to extend their lead. Cline ran for two yards before Stassi found
Luke Caliendo (North Babylon, NY) for a 69-yard catch-and-run that made it a 14-0 game. The Maritime defense then stopped the Engineers on 4
th-and-goal from the Privateers' 7. On the next MIT possession,
Nick Tulipano (Bronx, NY) sacked Shaunak Joshi, forcing a fumble that was returned by
Jack Kellner (Seaford, NY) to the Engineers' 11. The Privateers immediately took advantage of the turnover, with Stassi finding Cline for an 11-yard touchdown pass that increased Maritime's lead to 20-0.
MIT drove 78 yards on 10 plays to pull within 20-7 entering the fourth quarter. The Engineers then trimmed their deficit to 20-14 on Alex Theriault's 3-yard touchdown pass to Colin Vollmer with 4:32 remaining. MIT chose to kick away and Maritime began its final possession at its own 25-yard-line after a touchback. The Privateers kept the ball for the remainder of the contest, picking up three first downs to finish off the victory and secure their first three-game winning streak since 2019.
Stassi finished 11-for-22 passing for 134 yards and three scores. Cline had 79 rushing yards on 14 carries while also notching a receiving touchdown. Caliendo made four catches for 82 yards and a TD. Defensively,
Dylan Denicker (Queens, NY) led the way with 10 tackles, and
Kevin Wu (Staten Island, NY) added nine tackles.
Gino Fundaro (Levittown, NY), meanwhile, recorded three tackles for loss, including 1.5 sacks.
For the Engineers, Joshi was 9-for-13 for 137 yards and a touchdown, while Thomas Steuber went 7-for-14 for 61 yards. Brendan Spellman carried 24 times for 91 yards, and Michael Dennison had 71 receiving yards on five catches. Chase Williams, Dominic Hess and Ryan Hourican paced MIT with seven tackles apiece.
Next Saturday, Maritime returns to Reinhart Field for a 1 p.m. matchup with Salve Regina (4-3, 3-1 NEWMAC). The Privateers and Seahawks are currently tied for second place in the NEWMAC standings.
