THROGGS NECK, NY – The Maritime College football team moved into second place in the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference with a 25-22 victory over Salve Regina at Reinhart Field on Saturday.  After a Nathan DiRado field goal put the Seahawks (4-4, 3-2 NEWMAC) up 22-19, Ian Derda (Guilford, CT) scored his third touchdown of the day with a 15-yard reception on 4^th-and-4 to give Maritime (6-2, 4-1 NEWMAC) the win.

Derda finished with seven catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns.  He also had a 29-yard rushing TD.  Luke Caliendo (North Babylon, NY), meanwhile, tallied four receptions for 36 yards and a score.  Steven Stassi (East Islip, NY) went 19-for-30 passing for 198 yards and the three touchdowns. 

Stassi's first touchdown pass came just 1:53 into the contest, when he connected with Derda from 33 yards out.  The Privateers then made it 13-0 on Derda's 29-yard scamper into the end zone early in the second quarter.  Salve Regina responded with a 14-play, 62-yard drive, though, with Justan Luzzi's three-yard TD run trimming Maritime's advantage to 13-7.  The Seahawks drove for a field goal on their next possession, pulling within 13-10.

A penalty on the ensuing kickoff pinned the Privateers deep in their own territory.  On 4^th-and-9 from the Maritime 9, punter Jadon Forthe (Selden, NY) took a safety, cutting the lead to one, 13-12.  However, an interception and 57-yard return by Zander Timothy (Woodland Park, NJ) set up the Privateers for another score before halftime.  Stassi's six-yard strike to Caliendo with 22 seconds left in the half made it a 19-12 game at the break.

On Salve Regina's first possession of the third quarter, the Seahawks had a 1^st-and-goal from the Maritime 6.  The Privateers kept Salve Regina out of the end zone, though, as Karym Cruz (Staten Island, NY) forced a fumble on the goal line that was recovered by Dylan Denicker (Queens, NY).  After the teams traded punts, the Seahawks took advantage of the short field and tied the game on a 24-yard run by Luzzi.

Salve Regina forced a three-and-out before driving 58 yards in 14 plays for the go-ahead 25-yard field goal.  Maritime got the ball back on its own 31, then used two big plays—a 22-yard pass to Caliendo and a 16-yard pass to Derda—to move into Seahawks territory.  On 4^th-and-4 from the Salve Regina 15, Stassi lifted a pass into the corner of the end zone that Derda hauled in to put Maritime back in front, 25-22.  The extra point was missed, however, keeping it a three-point game.

After the defense forced a punt, the Privateers took over with 5:22 left and the ball on their own 39-yard line.  A 24-yard pass from Stassi to Nate Casaburi (Sayville, NY) gave Maritime a first down at the Salve Regina 37 and forced the Seahawks to use their timeouts.  Then, on 4^th-and-2, Devin Cline (Miller Place, NY) carried for four yards, sealing the Privateers' fourth straight win.

Aidan Griffin (Queens, NY) paced the Maritime defense with 11 tackles.  He also had two pass breakups.  Vinny Fundaro (Levittown, NY), Kevin Wu (Staten Island, NY) and Jack Kellner (Seaford, NY) notched eight tackles apiece, while Denicker broke up three passes to go along with his goal-line fumble recovery.

For Salve Regina, Luzzi gained 145 yards on 30 carries and scored twice.  Kyle Crampton led the Seahawks with six receptions for 72 yards.  Quarterback Anthony Bellizzi finished 14-for-31 for 189 yards with an interception.  DiRado, meanwhile, made both of his field goal attempts, from 33 and 25 yards.  Mark Sokk recorded a game-high 13 tackles, while Jason Fisher and Jacob Dubois contributed seven tackles apiece for Salve Regina.

There are two games remaining in the regular season.  Maritime concludes its road schedule next Saturday with a 12 p.m. visit to Coast Guard (4-4, 2-3 NEWMAC).