NORTHFIELD, VT – After falling behind 20-0, the Maritime College football team made a furious comeback effort at Norwich on Saturday afternoon. However, a 22-point fourth quarter was not enough for the Privateers (2-5, 0-4 NEWMAC), who dropped a 26-22 decision to the Cadets (3-3, 1-2 NEWMAC) at Haynes Family Stadium.
Maritime began its rally when
Liam Fernandez (Bradenton, FL) hit
Gianni Spinelli (Holtsville, NY) for a 20-yard touchdown pass on the second play of the fourth quarter. Norwich responded with a 12-play, 58-yard drive that ate up half the period. Iverson Brandon capped the march with a 10-yard TD run. The two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, however, keeping the margin at 19 points, 26-7.
The Privateers' ensuing possession stalled on the Cadets' 40, but the defense forced a three-and-out. Maritime took back over on its own 49 with 3:09 remaining. The Privateers proceeded to move 51 yards in 12 plays and 2:14 for a touchdown. Fernandez found
Gavin Farley (Massapequa Park, NY) in the end zone, then ran in the two-point attempt to make it 26-15 with 55 seconds left. Maritime recovered the onside kick, and Fernandez hit
Enrique Hernandez (Northport, NY) from 27 yards out for a score.
Owen Cunningham (Mineola, NY) added the extra point, cutting the Privateers' deficit to 26-22. There was a penalty on the second onside kick, though, allowing Norwich to take a knee and close out the victory.
Making his first collegiate start, Fernandez finished 18-for-33 for 173 yards. He had three touchdown passes and threw two interceptions. Hernandez made seven catches for 98 yards and a TD, while Spinelli caught three passes for 26 yards and a score to go along with his 73 rushing yards on 18 carries.
Nazier Kinsey (Syracuse, NY) paced the defense with 10 tackles, and
John McLaughlin (Queens, NY) was credited with two pass breakups.
With snow falling throughout the game, both teams struggled offensively in the early going. The Cadets scored the contest's first points on a 31-yard Zack Zegarra field goal with 3:03 left in the second quarter, and he added another 21-yard field goal on the final play from scrimmage in the first half to give Norwich a 6-0 lead at intermission. The Cadets then put together long touchdown drives on their first two possessions of the second half to increase their cushion to 20-0.
Norwich quarterback Landon Beecher finished 16-for-26 with 199 passing yards and one touchdown. Will Patenaude, meanwhile, ran 25 times for 105 yards and a score. Jamir Dixon led the Cadets with seven receptions for 74 yards, and Connor McFarland contributed 89 receiving yards on five catches. Corey Stone led Norwich with 10 tackles to go along with an interception and a pass breakup.
Next Saturday, Maritime welcomes WPI (4-2, 2-1 NEWMAC) to Reinhart Field for the annual Homecoming celebration. The traditional pregame festivities begin at 1:40 p.m., followed by kickoff between the Privateers and Engineers at 2 p.m.
