Box Score NEW LONDON, Conn. – Defending New England Football Conference (NEFC) champion Endicott scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and Coast Guard missed a 37-yard field goal with four seconds left as the Gulls remained unbeaten in conference with a 14-13 NEFC win over Coast Guard to spoil the Bears Parents' Weekend.
The Gulls won their fifth straight to improve to 5-2 overall and remain unbeaten at 4-0 in the conference while Coast Guard drops to 3-5 overall and 2-3 in the NEFC.
Senior Jake Wawrzyniak's 5-yard run with 7:56 left in the first half and junior Tyler Henning's extra point were the only points of the first half as the Bears led 7-0.
The Bears took advantage of a short field in scoring the only touchdown of the first half going 30 yards following a 22-yard punt.
Coast Guard junior Mark Behne intercepted senior quarterback Drew Frenette twice in the first half, including a pick in the end zone in the first quarter to keep the Gulls off the board.
Behne's returned his second interception 48 yards down to the Endicott 9-yard line, but senior Jake Cox intercepted a tipped ball to keep the Bears off the board early in the second quarter.
Endicott entered the game averaging an NEFC best 297.8 passing yards per game and finished with 217 passing yards, 112 in the first half and 105 in the second half as Frenette was 19 of 40 for 217 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Henning kicked a 39-yard field goal with 8:20 left for the only points of the third quarter as the Bears extended the lead to 10-0. Coast Guard again used a short field as they took over at the Gulls 32-yard line following a fumble recovered by senior Aaron Black.
Coast Guard held Endicott to just 13 yards while totaling 114 total yards of their own in the third quarter and led 10-0 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Endicott defense came up huge early in the fourth quarter as the Bears had a first-and-goal from the 4-yard line, but had to settle for an 18-yard field goal by Henning, who did not kick for four games earlier in the season due to an injury, and the Bears led 13-0 with 14:15 to go in the game.
Endicott grabbed the momentum when Anthony Carter returned the ensuing kickoff 32 yards to the Bears 37 yard line. On the next play from scrimmage Frenette threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Conor Crotty to and sophomore Kyle Regan's extra point made the score 13-7 with 14:03 left.
The Gull defense forced a Coast Guard punt and the Endicott offense marched 80 yards in 13 plays capped on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Frenette to junior tight end Dimitri Skinsacos with 5:55 left to tie the game. Regan kicked the point after for the 14-13 lead.
Coast Guard punted with 3:23 left, but the Bears defense then forced the Gulls three-and-out, so the offense would get one last chance with 2:22 left with great field position at their own 45 yard line.
Victory completed three passes, two to senior running back Matt Monteilh, the Bears third string running back, while Monteilh had three carries in the drive as the Bears moved the ball to the Gulls 20 yard line. Coast Guard lost their top two backs to injury earlier in the game.
Following a Monteilh rush, the Bears spiked the ball with eight seconds left and Henning came on to attempt the game winner from 37 yards out. Endicott called time out to ice the kicker and Henning then came up short on the game winning attempt.
The Bears, who lost 13-7 last week, drop back-to-back games by six points or less for the first time since 2011 when they lost to Westfield State 24-21 and Worcester State 31-30.
Coast Guard sophomore quarterback Derek Victory was 25 of 46 for 228 yards with one interception and held without a touchdown pass for the first time since the season-opening loss to St. Lawrence.
Wawrzyniak led the Bears with 20 carries for 69 yards while junior tight end Mitch Holloway had a career and game-high seven receptions for 58 yards in the loss.
Junior Spencer Walsh led Endicott with 16 carries for 54 yards while senior Nate Lewis had a team-high six receptions for 49 yards in the win.
Coast Guard finished with 284 yards of total offense, 228 passing and 56 rushing while Endicott had 276 total yards, 217 passing and 59 rushing. The Bears held Endicott to just 12 first downs in the game and had the ball for 34 minutes and 39 seconds while the Gulls had the ball for 25:21.
Endicott turned the ball over three times while the Bears turned it over just once.
Coast Guard has a bye this week before returning to action on Nov. 8th when the host Salve Regina in the final home game of the season. It will be Celebrate New London Day on the 8th with kickoff set for 1 p.m.
POST GAME INTERVIEW WITH HEAD COACH BILL GEORGE
