MIDDLETOWN, R.I. – Sophomore Trey Scales (Boston, Mass.) scored a pair of second-half touchdowns and the Salve Regina University defense forced eight turnovers and rolled to a 31-7 win over Curry College in New England Football Conference (NEFC) action Saturday afternoon at Gaudet Field.
The win snapped the Seahawks seven-game losing skid to the Colonels, dating back to 2003, and brought them to within a game of the .500 mark at 3-4 (2-2 NEFC Boyd). The last time Salve Regina defeated their rivals from Milton, Mass. was a 21-20 win on Oct. 12, 2002. Curry College, meanwhile, saw its losing skid reach three games and falls to 3-4 (1-3 NEFC Boyd).
The Seahawks defense recovered five fumbles and intercepted Curry signal callers three times, one of which was returned 23 yards for a touchdown by sophomore Greg Gosselin (Kingston, Mass.) – the Seahawks third defensive touchdown in four games. They held the Colonels to just 178 yards of total offense and 10 first downs, and 11 of their 16 drives were three plays or less. Curry drove into Salve Regina territory on three occasions, and two of those drives ended with turnovers.
Salve Regina sacked Curry quarterbacks four times and recorded 11 hurries, led by junior Shane Lange (Branford, Mass.) with two sacks, two fumble recoveries, and four hurries. Senior Nick Jentz (Little Ferry, N.J.) led the team with eight tackles and two pass breakups while junior Matt Petersen (Bristol, Conn.) picked off a pair of passes.
On offense, junior Jimmy Connelly (Berlin, Conn.) completed 14 of 22 passes for 95 yards as both senior Chris Kopiske (Saint James, N.Y.) and junior Patrick Keenan (Harrisville, R.I.) each recorded five receptions. The majority of Connelly’s passes were quick out-routes and slants to his receivers, which complemented a Seahawk rushing attack which tallied 167 yards. Senior Rob LaRiviere-Tougas (Easthampton, Mass.) led the way with a game-high 94 yards on 23 carries while Scales finished with 68 yards and those two scores.
The turning point of the game came with the Seahawks ahead 17-7 early in the fourth quarter. Facing a fourth-and-nine from the Curry 26, the Seahawks lined up to attempt a 43-yard field goal. The ball was snapped to sophomore Nick Habosian (Westford, Mass.), who turned and fired a strike to Keenan, who was open on the right side of the field and ran uncontested into the end zone from 26 yards out to stretch Salve Regina’s lead to 24-7. Scales second touchdown run of the afternoon was a 22-yard scamper down the right sideline with 2:09 remaining in the fourth.
The Seahawks opened the scoring midway through the first half when Connelly connected on a 33-yard field goal attempt, this after missing from 30 yards on their first offensive possession of the contest. The score was set up by Curry senior quarterback Harold Rose’s (Bourne, Mass.) second fumble of the game, which was recovered by Gosselin at the Curry 20.
The game remained 3-0 until Gosselin’s first-career interception and subsequent touchdown put the Seahawks ahead 10-0 late in the first half. Curry junior QB Mark Gilson (Mansfield, Mass.) rolled to his right and was pressure by junior linebacker A.J. Albert (Franklin Park, N.J.), and he let a pass go that was snared by Gosselin and returned 23 yards for a score.
In the third, Scales capped an eight-play, 50-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown run up the middle that pushed Salve Regina’s lead to 17-0. The Colonels answered just 2:43 later as Rose hooked up with senior Dennis Void (Brookhaven, Pa.) for a five-yard scoring strike that cut their deficit to 10 at 17-7, but they would get no closer.
Void finished the afternoon with 40 rushing yards on 12 carries for the Colonels and also caught a pair of passes. Rose, meanwhile, was 7-of-13 for 73 yards, one touchdown and a pair of interceptions, while Gilson was 3-of-16 for 84 yards, including a 44-yard completion to sophomore Robert Bambini (Westwood, Mass.). He finished with a game-high 96 receiving yards. On defense, senior Kevin McCarthy (Foxboro, Mass.) racked up a game-high 10 tackles.
The Seahawks return to action on Saturday when they travel to MIT for a 5 p.m. contest. The Colonels host Nichols next Saturday at 1 p.m. (Game recap courtesy of Salve Regina Sports Information)
Game Statistics
