WORCESTER -- The WPI football team saw its second-half comeback fall just short on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field, as Coast Guard held on for a 28-21 NEWMAC victory. The Engineers dip to 3-6 overall, 1-5 in conference play, while the Bears improve to 5-4, 3-3 in the NEWMAC.
Coast Guard led 28-0 midway through the third quarter, before WPI tacked on 21 unanswered points to close the gap to a touchdown early in the fourth. The Bears' defense stood, however, thwarting the Engineers' final two drives to seal the victory.
Before the game, WPI honored its senior class, thanking the following student-athletes for their dedication and commitment to the Engineers' program: Frank Almeida (Freehold, NJ), Max Anderson (Easton, MA), Ryan Antes (Conway, MA), Mohamed Barry (South Windsor, CT), Terrence Benedict (Ticonderoga, NY), Riley Bent (Brewster, MA), Douglas Cain (Jefferson, MA), Hunter Carey (South Hadley, MA), Jack Cassidy (Watertown, CT), Nick Coviello (Woburn, MA), Bryce Curtin (Bristol, CT), Brock Dubey (Dudley, MA), Matt Haley (Hudson, MA), Noah Herzig (Hubbardston, MA), Samson Hodges (Mason, NH), Joey Horowitz (Plainview, NY), Owen Lehane (Canton, MA), Stephen MacDonald (Georgetown, MA), Jay Mezzo (Naugatuck, CT), Zach Newberg (Barrington, RI), Drew Plunkett (Medway, MA), Frankie Polito (Shrewsbury, MA), Joey Puia (Suffield, CT), Jack Radzanowski (Pittsburgh, PA), Evan Wertz (Franklin, MA), and Matthew Wofford (Tulsa, OK).
WPI's Benedict finished 15-for-26 with 209 yards and a touchdown. Aaron Skaling (Bedford, NH) had four catches for 90 yards and a touchdown and Bryce Curtin (Bristol, CT) added five catches for 49 yards. On the ground, Carey carried the ball 24 times for a career-high 159 yards with two touchdowns. Bent led the defensive unit with eight tackles, while Gavin Chieff (Bernardsville, NJ) and Anderson added five each.
For Coast Guard, Joey Armentrout (Oceanside, CA) ended the afternoon 21-for-36 with 286 yards and three touchdowns. He tallied 12 rush attempts for 41 yards and a score. Broock Desta (San Diego, CA) was the top target, catching nine passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns. James Patz (Severna Park, Md.) added 89 yards on five catches and a score. Glenn Patrick (Fairhope, AL) carried the ball 12 times for 44 yards.
The Bears' defense was led by Logan Morris (Hubbard, TX), who tallied seven tackles while Ethan Lasher (Debary, FL) had six. Tyler Jones (Alexandria, VA) had two sacks with Hayden Anderson (Washington, NC) notching an interception.
Coast Guard jumped out to a 21-0 lead at the half. The Bears only out-gained the Engineers 172-170, but capitalized on three WPI turnovers in the first 30 minutes to take a commanding advantage.
WPI fumbled on its first play from scrimmage, with Solomon Ashby III (Portsmouth, VA) forcing and William Wolf (Front Royal, Va.) recovering at the home 34. The Bears then scored on their first play from scrimmage, as Armentrout connected with Desta for the 34-yard touchdown. Neither team was able to drum up much offense the rest of the frame, as Coast Guard led 7-0 after one.
In the second quarter, both teams had drives stall before Coast Guard put together a five-play 63-yard effort that culminated in an 18-yard touchdown from Armentrout to Patz. WPI went just 18 yards on its next possession, setting up the Bears for another score. Coast Guard got one on the ground this time, as Armentrout carried it in from eight yards out after a key pass interference call, making it 21-0 Bears at the half.
Coast Guard's lead grew to 28-0 early in the third quarter, as the Bears scored on their first possession. Armentrout again found Desta, this time for a nine-yard touchdown that capped a 12-play, 73-yard drive.
From there, WPI began its comeback. The Engineers broke through midway through the third quarter as a 42-yard run from Carey highlighted a five-play, 70-yard drive that ended in a three-yard Carey touchdown. After WPI forced a punt, the Engineers scored again, this time on a 40-yard pass from Benedict to Skaling to make it 28-14.
Another Coast Guard punt followed and WPI scored again. A five-play, 45-yard drive spanned the end of the third quarter into the fourth, as Carey scored on a one-yard rush to make it 28-21. After forcing another Bears punt, the Engineers got the ball down a score with 9:54 on the clock.
Though a sack and a penalty stalled the drive, Bent intercepted an Armentrout pass on the ensuing Coast Guard possession, giving WPI another chance to tie with 7:30 left in the game. The Engineers took it down to the Coast Guard 13 in nine plays, but couldn't convert on fourth and four, and Coast Guard took over.
Again, WPI forced a Coast Guard punt, giving the Engineers the ball on their own 40 with 2:22 to play. WPI got it down to the Bears' 43 yard-line, but a Jones sack on fourth down ended the WPI comeback and Coast Guard kneeled to seal the win.
Both teams close out the 2023 season next Saturday. WPI heads to MIT for a 1pm kick-off, while Coast Guard hosts archrival Merchant Marine at noon.