PSU Football no match for Endicott

            BEVERLY, Mass. – Senior running back Mike Lane (Medfield, Mass.) scored a school-record four touchdowns Saturday afternoon as Endicott College overpowered Plymouth State University, 49-0, in a New England Football Conference Boyd Division clash.

            Lane's 147-yard effort on the ground, his sixth straight game with at least 100 yards and a touchdown, was just part of Endicott's 263 rushing yards.  The Gulls erupted for 508 yards of total offense while limiting PSU to 125 yards and handing the Panthers their second shutout loss of the season. Senior defensive end Kevin Eagan (West Hartford, Conn.) led the Gulls defense with two interceptions along with 13 tackles, two of which were for a loss of yards.

            The Blue and Green also saw junior Mike Wheeler (Hanover, Mass.) go for a 54-yard touchdown run.  Endicott continued its record-setting start to the season, improving to 7-0 (4-0 NEFC Boyd).  Plymouth State dropped to 4-3 (2-2 NEFC Boyd).

            Senior tailback Chad Croteau (Weare, N.H.) made the biggest impact for the PSU offense with 10 rushes for 44 yards while junior Andrew Foglia (Montauk, N.Y.) finished with 34 yards on 16 carries.

            The Gulls used a seven-play, 80-yard drive to get into the end zone on their first possession, capped by a Lane four-year run.  Senior quarterback Phil Konopka (Shelton, Conn.) found Mike Fimiani (Melrose, Mass.) on a 14-yard route to the corner of the end zone to put Endicott up 14-0. 

            Endicott added three second-quarter touchdowns to pull ahead 35-0 at the half.  Konopka scored on a QB sneak to make it 21-0; Konopka connected with senior Ryan Carino (Stratford, Conn.) for 56-yards down to the Plymouth State 11-yard line before Lane ran it in on the next play; and Lane capitalized on a Panther turnover, finding the end zone from eight-yards out for his third touchdown of the game. 

            A Panther highlight came in the third quarter when PSU junior Ray Boulay (Keene, N.H.) blocked an Endicott field goal attempt.  Lane added his fourth TD of the day early in the fourth quarter, and Wheeler's 54-yard scoring burst rounded out the scoring.

            Plymouth State was led defensively by senior Christian Mulcahy (Norwich, Conn.) who had a team-high eight tackles, including five solo.  Mulcahy also picked off Konopka late in the first quarter, his fifth interception in the last three games.  Mark Hennessey (Westford, Mass.) and Joel Youd (Shelton, Conn.) each had solid games with seven tackles apiece.

            The Gulls are home again next Saturday, hosting Boyd Division opponent UMass Dartmouth, while PSU travels again next Saturday, visiting division rival Western New England University 

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