Fitchburg State Upsets Bridgewater State, 25-21

Falcons post 18 points in fourth quarter en route to NEFC comeback victory

FITCHBURG, Mass. (October 3, 2009) - The Fitchburg State football team collected its first New England Football Conference victory in dramatic fashion, upsetting Bridgewater State College, 25-21 this afternoon at Elliot Field. 

The duo of senior Steven Austin (Jupiter, Fla./Stony Brook) and junior Jordan Cannava (Woburn, Mass./Melrose) carried the Falcons to victory, combining for three touchdowns and 357 yards on the day. Austin led the Falcons rushing attack with 107 yards and one TD, while Cannava completed the fourth quarter comeback with 250 yards passing and two TDs. Junior Carlos De La Rosa (Holyoke, Mass./Holyoke) established himself as Cannava's main target, reeling in 136 yards and two scores, including the game-winner with 58 seconds remaining in regulation.

Bridgewater State enjoyed a 6-0 lead at the break as senior quarterback Steve Clark (East Falmouth, Mass./Falmouth) found classmate Jesse Teixeira (Taunton, Mass./Taunton) on the first half's only scoring drive. Clark connected with Teixeira on a 30yd streak down the right side line at the 8:51 mark of the first quarter, capping a 10 play, 64 yard drive.

The Bears continue to pound the ball early in the third period, grabbing a 14-0 lead just 2:03 into the frame, but Fitchburg State came swarming back as Cannava hit De La Rosa in the Bears end zone at the 7:53 mark. The touchdown was the Falcons first score of the day, cutting the Bears' lead to 14-7.

In the fourth, Fitchburg State continued its comeback pursuit, outscoring the Bears 18-7 in the frame. Senior Evan Georgopoulos (Melrose, Mass./Melrose) kicked off the Falcons scoring surge off with a 27 yard FG, before Austin found the end zone on a 7 yard dash to bring Fitchburg State within three.

After a four and out on the defensive side, Fitchburg State took over with 3:43 for a potential game-winning drive. The Falcons picked up a key fourth and nine as Cannava hit De La Rosa in stride for a 13 yard first down pass. Moments later, Cannava found Callahan on a 22 yard fly before connecting with De La Rosa again for the game-winning, 26 yard TD pass.

Junior Sean McGinn (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) led all tacklers, posting a game-high ten tackles (8 solo, 4 assists) and 0.5 sacks, while sophomore Will Gasson (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) stood strong at linebacker with seven solo stops and four helpers. Sophomore Sean Golden (Montville, Conn./Montville) sealed the Falcon victory with a 25 yard interception in the closing seconds, while adding five total stops on the day.

Bridgewater State received a solid effort from Clark who led all rushers with a game-high 158 yards. The senior quarterback totaled one TD on the ground and one TD in the air, while junior Justin Fuller (Berkley, Mass./Somerset) added 82 yards on the ground. Freshman John Ferbert (East Bridgewater, Mass./East Bridgewater) led all Bridgewater State tacklers with a team-high nine tackles (7 solo, 4 assists) and one break-up.

Fitchburg State (3-2, 1-1 NEFC) will be back in action next Saturday as it travels to Coast Guard Academy at 1:30 p.m. Bridgewater State (3-2, 1-1 NEFC) will host Framingham State on Saturday at 12 p.m.

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Fitchburg State 25, Bridgewater State 21

Scoring:
First Quarter: BSC: Jesse Teixeira (30yd pass), 8:51;
Second Quarter: none
Third Quarter: BSC: Steve Clark (69yd run), 12:57; FIT: Carlos De La Rosa (20yd pass), 7:53;
 Fourth Quarter: FIT: Evan Georgopoulos (27yd FG), 12:11; BSC: Jeff Creeden (1yd run), 4:54; FIT: Steve Austin (7yd run), 3:14; FIT: De La Rosa (26yd pass), 00:58