Second Half Surge Propels Gulls Over WPI, 28-21

BEVERLY, Mass. – Trailing 21-0 in the third quarter, the Endicott football team came back in dramatic fashion on Friday night to defeat WPI, 28-21, in front of a soldout crowd at Hempstead Stadium.

With just 20 seconds remaining in regulation, John Kenney (Wilmington, Mass.) ran his way across the plain from the six-yard line after appearing to be stuffed behind the line of scrimmage giving the Gulls the 28-21 advantage. 

Prior to the game-clinching score, Michael LeFebre (Methuen, Mass.) plucked away a pass at the 2:21 mark to help Endicott regain possession and set up Kenney's clutch touchdown. 

The Blue and Green began to gain momentum when Anthony Caggianelli (Pelham, N.H) found himself in the end zone at 7:11 left in the third for Endicott's first score of the night.

While the lights were still bright, the Gulls pulled a few tricks out of their feathers as Anthony Bracamonte (Saco, Maine) found Geoffrey Ingrando (Everett, Mass.) deep across the sideline on a reverse pass for his second score of the young season.

From there, Endicott continued to chip away at the Engineers lead when Clayton Marengi (Lynnfield, Mass.) chucked the ball deep in the left corner of the end zone targeting Shane Aylward (Tewksbury, Mass.) for an immaculate, high-flying 32-yard touchdown grab over a WPI defender with 2:44 left in the game.

The fourth quarter magic was fueled by two key turnovers, the first of which came courtesy of Kobe Gaudette's (Saco, Maine) fumble recovery on special teams and the aforementioned interception by LeFebre. In total, the Gulls forced three turnovers on the night, including another fumble recovery by Sean Tompkins (Portland, Maine) early in the third period.

BEYOND THE BOX 

• This is the second game in a row the Gulls have scored 21 or more unanswered points in the second half to secure a victory. 
• LeFebre snagged the fourth interception of his career.
• Marengi accumulated 84 yards from scrimmage in his collegiate debut (37 passing, 47 rushing).
• Aylward and Ingrando lead the Gulls in receiving touchdowns (2) this season.
• Endicott secured its first win over WPI in program history.
• The Gulls are now 3-0 in "Friday Night Lights" games at The Nest.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (2-0) will make its way to Catholic (1-0, as of 9/10) for their first contest away from The Nest on September 18 at 12 PM. WPI returns home to take on Rensselaer for a 2:30 PM kickoff. 

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(Photo Credit - Ryan Atkins '23)