Westfield State Upends Fitchburg State, 28-14
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Westfield St. (5-3) | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
|
Fitchburg St. (5-3) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Neal and Ekstrom notch one TD each in Falcons 2014 home finale
FITCHBURG, Mass. (November 1, 2014) – Westfield State ran for 249 yards on the ground and pair of TD's as the Owls held on for a 28-14 victory over Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action this afternoon at Elliot Field.
Westfield State opened the contest, driving 72 yards on 11 plays as senior quarterback Steve Guercio hit junior Cody Bostek in the right corner of the end zone for a 15 yard touchdown pass and catch for the 7-0 lead with 9:51 remaining in the first quarter.
The Falcons responded with an 11 play drive of their own, capping a 60 yard drive as junior receiver Trayvon Neal hauled in a 15 yard pass from sophomore quarterback Garrett Dellechiaie to knot the score at 7-7
Westfield State marched back, regaining the lead (14-7) as time expired in the opening quarter as senior tailback Michael Mercadante plunged in from one yard out before the Owls upped their margin with 1:51 left in the first half, finishing off a 92 yard drive on a two yard touchdown run from Mercadante to take a 21-7 lead into halftime.
Following the break, the Owls upped their advantage with 5:33 left in the third quarter when Guercio found junior Bobby Boire in the far corner of the end zone for a 25 yard strike to make the score 28-7 after three quarters of play.
The Green and Gold would cap the scoring in the contest early in the final stanza, polishing off a 12 play, 78 yard drive with a two yard rush from junior wide out Taylor Ekstrom, resulting in the 28-14 final.
For the game, Dellechiaie led the Falcons offense, completing 10-of-28 passes for 143 yards and one score, while also adding 70 rushing yards on 14 carries, while senior Phillip Saint-Juste finished with four catches for 56 yards.
The Owls offensive attack was paced by Mercadante's 173 yards on the ground (28 touches) and two scores, while Boire added three grabs for 35 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, junior Luis Feliz posted a game-best 13 stops (6 solo, 7 assisted) for the Falcons, while junior defensive back Greg Sherman led the way for Westfield State, totaling four solo tackles and pair of interceptions.
Fitchburg State (5-3, 3-3 MASCAC) will be back in action next weekend as it visits the Corsairs of UMass Dartmouth at 1 p.m. Westfield State (5-3, 4-2 MASCAC) will host Worcester State University for a contest starting at 1 p.m.