PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Maritime football took to the road Saturday to take on Plymouth State in conference play. Going in to the game the Buccaneers sat in fourth place in the MASCAC with the Panthers right behind them in fifth. The two evenly matched teams showed why they were so close in the standings playing to a 7-3 final in favor of the Panthers.

The Basics

Final: Panthers 7, Buccaneers 3

Records: Mass Maritime 5-2 (3-2 MASCAC)

                Plymouth State 6-2 (4-2 MASCAC)

For The Bucs

• Senior quarterback Matt Long (Weymouth, Mass) gained 237 yards, 159 passing, 78 rushing, in the game.
• Senior wide receiver Will Bennett (Sandwich, Mass) caught five passes for a team-high 49 yards.
• Freshman wide out Isaac Green (Sarasota, Fla) caught four passes for 45 yards.
• Defensively, Kyle Rogers (Abington, Mass) led the Bucs with eight tackles.
• Junior defensive lineman Colin McCabe (Dartmouth, Mass) recorded two sacks in the game. He now has 9.5 sacks on the season. McCabe also made seven tackles.
• Junior Nick Khoury (East Bridgewater, Mass) also recorded a sack in the game for the Bucs and made two tackles.
• Kicker/Punter George Lampros (Bridgewater, Mass) scored the only points of the day for the Bucs on a 26-yard field goal late in the second half. Lampros also punted once for 51 yards.
• Long punted six times in the game for Maritime for 215 yards. An average of 35.8 yards with a long punt of 55 yards. He pinned the Panthers inside their own 20 yard line on two occasions.

For The Panthers

• Plymouth quarterback Brett Lavanchy went 7-for-14 through the air for 72 yards and one touchdown.
• Running back David Hamilton ran the ball 16 times for a game-high 114 yards.
• Wide receiver Max Osgood caught four passes for a game-high 66 yards.
• Wide out Cooper Gorski was on the receiving end of Lavanchy's touchdown pass on his only catch of the day. The reception went for five yards.
• Defensively, Matt Shea led the game with 11 tackles.
• The only sack recorded by the Panther defense on the day came from Derrick Terrazzano. Terrazzano also made four solo tackles.
• Kicker Dan Carey missed his only field goal attempt of the afternoon but converted his only extra point attempt.
• Lavanchy handled the punting duties for the hosts, punting six times for 169 yards. An average of 28.2 yards.

How It Happened

The first half set the tone for this game as it became a defensive stand off for both teams. The first five possessions of the game, which took the entire first quarter, ended in a turnover on downs, a fumble, a punt, a missed field goal and another punt. There was a total of 93 yards gained between the two teams on those possessions. The first quarter ended in a scoreless tie.

The second quarter began with the first points of the game. Plymouth began the second with the ball, carrying over a possession that began in the first quarter. In five minutes, the Panthers drove 55 yards in nine plays, ending the drive with a five-yard touchdown pass from Lavanchy to Gorski to put the home team up 7-0 after the converted extra point. Both teams inched in to the other's territory on each of the next few drives but all would end in punts. With 2:30 left in the first half, Maritime took over on the Plymouth 43 yard line. With great field position the Bucs went 34 yards in 10 plays and were stalled out by the Panther defense. Lampros came in and hit the 26-yard field goal as time expired to get the Bucs on the board. The Panthers led at the half, 7-3.

In the second half, every possession for both teams ended in either a punt or a turnover on downs. The longest drive for either team came in the third quarter when Maritime drove 62 yards in 11 plays. The drive ended in a failed fourth down conversion. At the end of three the scored remained 7-3. Though the score did not change in the fourth quarter, the Buccaneers had one last chance to come back and win. They got the ball back with 3:00 left in regulation and proceeded to drive 51 yards in eight plays. On a fourth and six play from deep inside Panther territory, Long sent a pass in to the end zone which was ruled incomplete after his receiver was pushed out before he could get a foot down inbounds in the end zone. Plymouth took the ball back with a minute remaining on the clock and kneeled the ball to seal their 7-3 win over the Bucs.

Up Next

Maritime will be back home on Saturday, November 2^nd to take on MASCAC leading Framingham State at Clean Harbors Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12pm.