MILTON, Mass. – The Curry College football team defeated visiting UMass Dartmouth, 30-27 in their non-conference finale at Walter M. Katz Field on Saturday afternoon. The Colonels improve to 4-1 on the year while the Corsairs fall to 2-3.
Curry got on the board first, putting together an eight-play, 68-yard drive that culminated in a 38-yard touchdown pass from Alex Corvese (Cranston, R.I.) to Spencer Tyler (Yarmouthport, Mass.) to put the Colonels up 7-0. UMass Dartmouth would answer right back with a seven play, 45-yard series capped off by a 26-yard touchdown strike from Jace Pena (East Providence, R.I.) that was hurled in by Jacen Hudson (Hudson, N.H.) to knot the game at seven.
The next scoring would come in the second quarter when Andrew Allen (Avenei, N.J.) brought in a Corvese pass from 16 yards out as the touchdown reclaimed the lead for the Colonels. The reception capped off an eight-play, 64-yard drive that encompassed 3:15 as Curry would grab their second lead of the afternoon. Four minutes later, Marc Mrozek (Stratford, Conn.) converted on a 23 yard field goal to increase the lead to 10 at 17-7.
The Corsairs would storm back to tie the game at 17 before halftime, thanks to touchdowns on back-to-back possessions. Following three plays for UMass Dartmouth and a penalty on the Colonels, Pena connected with Abbi Bamgbose (Worcester, Mass.) for a 20-yard touchdown pass. James Tooker (Harwich, Mass.) converted the extra point opportunity to cut the lead to just three, 17-7.
Curry got the ball back on their next possession and would go five plays before a fumble from Nick Villanueva (Hanson, Mass.) turned the ball right back to the Corsairs with 5:03 left in the first half. UMass Dartmouth took advantage of the turnover and went 46 yards in eight plays, capped off by a 32-yard field goal from Tooker to even the contest 17-17. Each team had one last shot to grab the advantage going into the halftime intermission but no points were put on the board.
The Corsairs took their first lead of the contest on their second possession of the second half. Tooker knocked a 39-yard field goal through the uprights to give UMass Dartmouth a 20-17 advantage to cap off a nine play, 47-yard series.
The Colonels answered the points with some of their own to reclaim the lead. After three rushing and one passing play, Corvese hooked up with Tyler for a 34-yard completion that took the ball to the Corsair three-yard line. The senior quarterback took it himself and rushed in from three yards out to give Curry the lead 24-20.
That score held until the fourth quarter when on the second possession, UMass Dartmouth reclaimed the lead. Pena tossed a 61-yard pass to Bamgbose. The wideout took it to the house and the extra point was converted by Tooker to give the Corsairs a 27-24 lead with 12:41 in regulation.
The squads each had one more possession before either scored. With nine minutes left in regulation, the Colonels embarked on an eight-play, 55-yard drive, capped off by a one-yard rush from Corvese to give Curry a 30-27 lead. The point after attempt was missed and would remain a three-point deficit with 5:55 left.
The Corsairs had one last shot to take the lead and following eight plays, the Colonels would get the ball back. Curry was able to run out the clock as they took the contest by a 30-27 final.
Curry's offense was led by Corvese, who went 29-for-44 for 377 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Corvese also tallied 13 rushes for 18 yards and two touchdowns. D'Aundray Burcy (Hyde Park, Mass.) led the Colonels backfield with 43 yards on eight carries. Villanueva led all Curry receivers with 11 receptions for 152 yards. On the defensive side, the Colonels were led by Aidan Cawley (Abington, Mass.) and Cameron Sass (Bridgewater, Mass.) as they each tallied seven tackles. Joseph Grogan had a standout game with six tackles, all for losses. He also had two sacks and forced one fumble.
For the Corsairs, Pena completed 12-of-17 attempts for 214 yards and three touchdowns. Slaughter, Jr. led the charge on the ground, rushing 11 times for 60 yards. Bamgbose was the leading receiver, hauling in six catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Jacob Burkhead (Plymouth, Mass.) and Jake Tavares (New Bedford, Mass.) led all UMass Dartmouth defenders with 10 tackles each.
Curry returns to action on Saturday, October 14 when they open conference play at Becker at 2:00 p.m. UMass Dartmouth resumes conference play and will host Bridgewater State on Friday, Oct. 13 at 7:00 p.m.
