Hartford, Conn. - Sophomore K Tim Costello (Solano
Beach, Calif.) kicked a pair of overtime field goals,
including the game-winner from 42 yards away in the second extra
frame, to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 26-23 victory over
the Wesleyan University Cardinals in the New England Small College
Athletic Conference (NESCAC) football season finale for both teams
in a steady rain at Jessee/Miller Field this afternoon. Trinity,
ranked No. 7 in New England, finishes the season at 6-2 with its
35th consecutive triumph at home. The Bantams remain flawless
in their 35 games played on the artificial turf at Jessee/Miller
Field and have won nine consecutive games against the Cardinals,
who close at 3-5.
Trinity trailed, 20-13, after a one-yard touchdown run by
Wesleyan senior RB Shea Dwyer (Marlborough, Mass.)
and a two-point conversion pass from sophomore QB Blake
DuBois (Santa Ynez, Calif.) to senior TE Mike
Ferris (Orange, Conn.) late in the third quarter.
The Bantams tied the game at 20-20 with a one-yard scoring run on a
direct snap to junior tri-captain S Ben Sherry (Wayland,
Mass.), who was lined up at quarterback, with 9:39 left in
regulation. Costello opened the NCAA tiebreaker with a
28-yard field goal on Trinity's first possession, but Wesleyan
sophomore K Matt Alexander (Dallas, Texas) matched
Costello with a 26-yarder to end the first overtime at 23-23.
Wesleyan opened the second overtime with a DuBois pass to the end
zone down the left sideline, but the ball was intercepted by
Sherry. Trinity did not gain a yard on its ensuing
possession, but Costello blasted the longest field goal of his
career through the uprights for clinching points.
Trinity jumped on the Cardinals for two first-quarter
touchdowns, as senior tri-captain RB Oliver Starnes
(Ledgewood, N.J.) capped off an 11-play, 82-yard drive
with a 14-yard scoring scamper with 5:48 on the clock, and Bantam
junior QB Craig Drusbosky (Orange, Conn.) found
classmate Michael Galligan (Shoreham, N.Y.) on an
18-yard touchdown strike with 1:43 left in the opening
stanza. Trinity junior K Luke Whitman (Baltimore,
Md.) missed the PAT to make the score, 13-0, at the end of
the first, but Wesleyan returned the favor with two touchdowns in
the second quarter. DuBois found junior WR Peter
Modera (Piedmont, Calif.) and sophomore WR David
Brunelli (Franklin, Mass.) on a scoring passes of 21 and
11 yards, respectively, as the Cardinals took advantage of a
blocked Trinity punt and recovery by junior Matt Maloney
(Yarmouthport, Mass.) and a fumbled punt return by Trinity
that was picked up by Cardinal sophomore Trevor Rhodes
(Wellesley, Mass.) on the Trinity 11-yard line. The
Bantams stopped Wesleyan on a two-point try on the first touchdown
and Trinity sophomore Matt Paskalides (Scarsdale,
N.Y.) blocked the second PAT to put the score at 13-12 in
Trinity's favor at the break. Paskalides also recorded two
key pass breakups during Wesleyan's overtime series to hold the
Cardinals to a field goal.
Trinity outgained Wesleyan, 348-to-204, while Drusbosky was
14-for-26 for 201 yards through the air including six passes for
111 yards to Galligan, and Starnes finished with 84 rushing yards
on 30 carries. DuBois was 13-for-34 for 106 yards and Dwyer
had 17 carries for 53 yards for the Cardinal offense. Junior
ILB Francois Auzerais (Westport, Conn.) led all
tacklers with 11, while Sherry had 10 hits, and senior S
John Marinelli (New Canaan, Conn.) added five
tackles, two pass breakups, and an interception that he returned 40
yards in the fourth quarter. Sophomore LB Brett
Bandazian (Wyckoff, N.J.) paced Wesleyan with nine tackles
and broke up two passes, while sophomore S Cameron Davila
(Yorba Linda, Calif.) had eight hits, and sophomore DT
Nick Ferris (Orange, Conn.) contributed seven
tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack.
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