NCAA TOURNAMENT: No. 9/12 Salisbury Holds Off No. 24 Endicott In Second Round, 35-28

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE

SALISBURY, Md. — The No. 24 Endicott football team fell to No. 9/12 Salisbury, 35-28, in NCAA Tournament Second Round action on Saturday afternoon at Sea Gull Stadium.

Trailing 20-7 at halftime, Endicott outscored Salisbury 21-8 in the third quarter to deadlock both teams going into the final 15 minutes of play.

Shea Lynch (Peabody, Mass.) connected with Adam Goodfellow (Wayland, Mass.) for a 13-yard strike at the 13:52 mark to get the offense going and cut into the deficit at 20-14.

Markys Bridgewater (Lawrence, Mass.) followed with a 17-yard gash just 6:07 later (7:45) to give Endicott its first lead on the scoreboard, 21-20, capping an 11-play, 72-yard, 4:33 drive.

After Salisbury answered with a go-ahead 11-play, 75-yard, 5:04 scoring drive of its own, including the two-point conversion, Endicott's special teams unit delivered when it mattered most with a forced fumble to gain back some momentum.

Justin Marino (Medford, Mass.) stripped Salisbury's punt returner inside the 10-yard line, and Will Tirrell (Franklin, Mass.) pounced on the fumble, putting Endicott immediately in the red zone (9-yard line). 

The Gulls made quick work of the turnover, as Lynch found Jacob Ward (Coventry, R.I.) through the air for a 7-yard game-tying score. 

From there, Salisbury responded with a 23-yard passing touchdown on its next drive at the 11:16 mark of the fourth quarter before withstanding Endicott's comeback bid.

Endicott's best chance came on the ensuing drive (9-plays, 70-yards), but the hosts held strong inside their 5-yard line on four straight plays — including two stops at the goal line — to secure the eventual victory.

Lynch finished the contest 25-for-41 passing for 246 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.

Bridgewater compiled 138 rushing yards and two TDs on 15 attempts (9.2 average), while Goodfellow hauled in a team-high six receptions, including his third quarter score.

Jayson Little (Natick, Mass.) paced the receiving corps with 84 yards on five catches (16.8 average). 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Today's contest was the first-ever meeting between the programs.
• Salisbury is nationally ranked No. 9 in the AFCA Poll and No. 12 via d3football.com.
• Endicott is ranked No. 24 in the AFCA Poll. 
• Lynch notched a career-high 41 passing attempts (61.0%).
• Joe Tirrell (Franklin, Mass.) anchored the defense with a game-high/career-high 12 tackles (1 solo, 0.5 TFL).
• Alfino Davis (Cranston, R.I.) picked off his sixth career pass at 12:36 of the second quarter, with Salisbury leading 13-0, at the time.
• Davis concluded the game with two passes defended, ranking him eighth all-time in program history (25 total, 19 pass breakups, 6 interceptions).
• Mason Bachry (Haverhill, Mass.), Brian Daly (Franklin Square, N.Y.), and Will Shannon (Topsfield, Mass.) compiled eight tackles apiece (career-highs for Bachry and Daly; one shy of tying Shannon's).
• Marino registered a career-high five tackles (four solo), and his second career forced fumble.
• Endicott has produced a 46-10 overall record (.821), a 28-1 conference record (.966), and captured five-straight Conference of New England (CNE) Championships during the last five seasons.
• The Blue and Green held Salisbury, the fifth-ranked offense in D3, well under its 49.5 points per game average.
• Today's game marked the first time in program history that the Endicott Gulls earned a bye into the NCAA Tournament Second Round.

WHAT'S NEXT

No. 24 Endicott sees its season come to a close at 9-2 overall. No. 9/12 Salisbury (10-1) takes on No. 8/11 Johns Hopkins in the NCAA Tournament Third Round on Saturday, December 6. 

For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

(Photo Credit - Jonah Bean '28)