Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
Biddeford, ME --- The WPI football team was within striking distance at halftime, but the University of New England exploded for 28 fourth-quarter points to hand the Crimson and Gray a 41-3 setback on Saturday afternoon. The Engineers drop to 0-2 on the season, while UNE improves to 2-0.
UNE struck first in the opening quarter as Chris Lang (Freehold, NJ) found Tim Visbeek (Northbridge, MA) for an 18-yard touchdown to complete a 12-play, 77-yard drive. WPI answered two possessions later, capitalizing on an interception by Ryan Hannigan (Needham, MA). The Engineers moved into field-goal range, where Nathan Napier (Natick, MA) drilled a 42-yarder to cut the deficit to 7-3 with just over four minutes left in the first quarter.
The hosts extended their lead midway through the second quarter. Nathan Delgado (Wakefield, MA) capped an 11-play, 51-yard march with a one-yard plunge that gave the Nor'easters a 13-3 advantage at the break.
Both defenses controlled the third quarter, as WPI forced a pair of turnovers and UNE's front pressured the Engineers into five punts.
The fourth quarter, however, belonged entirely to the Nor'easters. Lang opened the frame with a 29-yard rushing score, then later connected with Will McLoughlin (Cohasset, MA) on a 48-yard touchdown strike. Steven Rosario (Nashua, NH) added an eight-yard run to stretch the margin, before Austin Ingersoll (Kingston, NH) delivered the knockout blow with a 76-yard sprint to the end zone that sealed the 41-3 final.
Quarterback Aedan McDermott (Guilford, CT) paced the Engineers with 52 yards passing and added 33 yards on the ground. Ty Csencsits (Hellertown, MA) was his top target, hauling in four receptions for 37 yards. Josh Macomber (Bethel, CT) and Tom McGraw (Portsmouth, RI) chipped in with 12 and 11 rushing yards, respectively.
Defensively, linebacker Carter Learned (Reading, MA) posted a game-high 22 tackles. Patrick Andrews (Marlboro, MA) added 16 stops and a sack, while Grant Engelhardt (Chelmsford, MA) reached double figures with 10 tackles. Hannigan recorded an interception, and Michael Doherty (Woburn, MA) notched 10 tackles of his own.
UNE quarterback Lang led the hosts with 327 passing yards and two total touchdowns, connecting with Visbeek and McLoughlin for scores. He also added a 29-yard rushing touchdown to start the fourth-quarter surge. Ingersoll broke the game open with a 76-yard touchdown run, part of his 111-yard day, while Rosario added an eight-yard scoring rush.
Defensively, UNE limited WPI to just 122 yards of total offense and only seven first downs on the afternoon. Jeremy Franzini (Scituate, MA) led the way with six tackles, while Mike Perez (Peabody, MA) and Ben Cardoso (Newton, NH) each chipped in four stops.
The Crimson and Gray return to action on Saturday, September 20th, traveling north to face Husson at 1pm. The Nor'easters will head to Vermont the same day for a 12pm kickoff at VTSU Castleton.