Seahawks dominate Mariners to set up NEFC showdown next week

Salve Regina 49, Maine Maritime 14
Middletown, R.I. – Gaudet Field
Saturday, November 7, 2015

Summary
Junior quarterback Brandan Basil (Northford, Conn.) completed 20 of 25 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns (15, 11, 5) to lead Salve Regina University football to a 49-14 victory over visiting Maine Maritime Academy at Gaudet Field. Salve Regina (7-1, 5-1 NEFC) will now play for the New England Football Conference (NEFC) championship in the final game of the regular season next week at Western New England University (9-0, 6-0 NEFC).

Series and Streaks
Salve Regina improves to 9-0 in the all-time series with Maine Maritime, which began in 1996. Today's margin of victory (35 points) was the largest in the all-time series while the Seahawks have had two 34-point victories against the Mariners (53-19 in 2000, and 42-8 in 2013). Last year at Gaudet Field, rainy conditions kept it a two-point contest, 21-19 in Salve Regina's favor.

Three Stars of the Game
1 – Salve Regina junior Brandan Basil (Northford, Conn.) completed 20 of 25 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns. He completed passes to seven different Seahawks.
2 – Salve Regina junior Sam Pascale (Cheshire, Conn.) rushed 24 times for 120 yards and three touchdowns (2, 11, 11).
2 – Salve Regina sophomore James Dawson (Oradell, N.J.) handled the ball just five times and scored two touchdowns. He rushed three times for 73 yards including a 47-yard score, and caught two passes for 17 yards including an 11-yard score. At halftime, Dawson was administered the oath of enlistment and sworn in as the newest member of the Cramer's Saber Battalion Army ROTC.

Scoring Drives
1st | 07:47 | SRU | Sam Pascale 2 yd run (Andrew Verre kick), 8-64 3:37, MEM 0 - SRU 7
2nd | 14:17 | MEM | James Ferrar 5 yd run (Chad Martin kick), 10-85 4:29, MEM 7 - SRU 7
2nd | 11:14 | SRU | Sam Pascale 11 yd run (Andrew Verre kick failed), 7-65 2:55, MEM 7 - SRU 13
2nd | 02:04 | SRU | Sam Pascale 11 yd run (Alex Hulme pass from Brandan Basil), 4-25 1:46, MEM 7 - SRU 21
2nd | 00:00 | SRU | Garrett Rupe 15 yd pass from Brandan Basil (Andrew Verre kick), 3-65 0:21, MEM 7 - SRU 28
3rd | 12:37 | SRU | James Dawson 11 yd pass from Brandan Basil (Andrew Verre kick), 6-59 2:15, MEM 7 - SRU 35
3rd | 09:52 | SRU | Mitch Graziano 5 yd pass from Brandan Basil (Andrew Verre kick), 6-28 2:32, MEM 7 - SRU 42
3rd | 07:00 | SRU | James Dawson 47 yd run (Andrew Verre kick), 4-59 1:17, MEM 7 - SRU 49
4th | 07:31 | MEM | James Ferrar 1 yd run (Chad Martin kick), 2-12 0:43, MEM 14 - SRU 49

Key Stat of the Game
Basil completed 20 passes to seven different receivers while opposing QBs Michael Fahey and Corey Creeger combined for 0-for-9 passing with one interception.

Turning Point
Leading 13-7 with just over two minutes remaining in the first half, Salve Regina scored two more touchdowns before intermission. Following a Maine Maritime fumble, Pascale scored his third TD of the half at 2:04, and the Seahawk defense later stopped the Mariners on fourth down with 21 seconds left. Taking over at its own 35, Salve Regina went the distance in three plays, with Garrett Rupe (Peckville, Pa.) grabbing a 15-yard TD strike from Basil.

Quick Hits

• James Dawson (Oradell, N.J.) begins his journey toward commissioning as a second lieutenant in the United States Army.
• Nathan Gonzalez (Durham, Conn.) had six solo tackles to lead the Seahawk defensive unit; Zachary Faskianos (York, Maine) led the Mariners with seven solo tackles.
• James Ferrar (Cumberland, Maine) led Maine Maritime Academy with 101 rushing yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns.
• Sam Pascale (Chesire, Conn.), who entered the game as the fourth-leading rusher in the nation among Division III players, added 120 to his season total and now needs just 40 more yards to set the school's single-season record (Mark DeBiasio - 1,461 yards rushing in 1998). 
• The Seahawks have won 16 in a row over NEFC opponents at home, and have won nine in a row overall at Gaudet Field.
• Salve Regina enters a one-game winner-take-all for the NEFC championship for the third time in the last four seasons (2012 at Framingham State; 2013 at Endicott; 2015 at Western New England next Saturday).

Quotes
"We needed to win this game in order to move into the conference championship game. We were excited and fired up to take care of business and the scoreboard shows it. Our players were dialed and locked in, our offensive line was on top of it, and our receivers were making some great catches." - Salve Regina head coach Kevin Gilmartin, who now has posted at least seven wins in all three seasons as a head coach (21-9; .700)

Next up
Salve Regina (7-1, 5-1 NEFC) – Saturday, November 7 at Western New England, 1 p.m.
Maine Maritime (2-6, 1-5 NEFC) – Saturday, November 7 at Nichols, 12 p.m.