Box Score
(10-31-09) MANCHESTER, N.H. - The University of New Haven football team defeated St. Anselm College 47-43 Saturday in New Hampshire. The Chargers improve to 5-4 overall and conclude their 2009 Northeast-10 Conference schedule at 4-4. The Hawks fall to 2-7 overall, 1-6 NE-10.
After giving up more than 500 yards of total offense through most of the first four quarters, the UNH defense buckled down when it counted and stopped St. Anselm on its final two possessions of the game. Trailing 43-41, the two stops gave the UNH offense an opportunity to take the lead. The Chargers capitalized, with an 8-play, 80-yard drive which was capped by a fourth-down 32-yard touchdown pass and catch from Ryan Osiecki to Kameel Lashley with 1:13 left on the clock. The score gave New Haven a 47-43 lead, their first and only lead of the entire game.
The Chargers trailed early in Saturday's game, allowing St. Anselm to open a 14-0 lead after its first two drives. The Chargers first three drives all ended in punts, while they finally got on the scoreboard at the end of the first quarter. Freshman Josh Smart narrowly missed breaking big runs earlier in the quarter, but did miss a huge hole on the first play of New Haven's third drive. He found a hole off the left side of the Chargers' offensive line and scampered 80 yards for a touchdown on the first play of New Haven's fourth drive. The one play and point after brought UNH within seven points at 14-7.
The Hawks immediate answered with a long 12-play, 55-yard drive which ended in a 30-yard field goal with 13:36 left in the second quarter. Lashley took the ensuing kickoff 45 yards to the St. Anselm 39-yard line, setting up a short field for the Chargers' offense. Five plays later, Victor Jones hammered away a 2-yard touchdown run. Stephen Ward's point after was good, cutting the Hawks' lead to 17-14.
After two punts on the next two possession, the Hawks got a drive start at their own 39-yard line. Two passes and a Charger pass interference call, St. Anselm took a 23-14 lead off a 2-yard run. The point after failed.
However, the Chargers answered on their next drive. Mixing up three Osiecki completions and two Josh Smart runs, UNH went 47-yards in five plays and once again cut into the St. Anselm lead with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Osiecki to Demetrius Washington-Ellison with 4:48 left in the first half. Ward's kick failed and UNH then trailed 23-20.
The Hawks were the last to score before halftime, with a 10-play, 87-yard drive they took a 30-20 lead with 19-seconds left in the opening half.
The Charger defense came alive on the opening drive of the second half when Desmond Anderson picked off a Michael Pierce pass to end the Hawks' opening drive of the second half. The Chargers took the opportunity and went 54-yards on four plays, including a 43-yard touchdown pass from Osiecki to Sharieff Hall over the middle. Ward's kick brought UNH back within three points at 30-27.
Despite sustained drives, neither team scored again in the third quarter, which set the stage for an exciting fourth quarter.
The Hawks took their opening drive of the quarter in for a touchdown and took a 36-27 lead and missing the extra point. New Haven then went on a scoring spree, tallying three touchdowns on its final three drives of the game. The scoring started with a 54-yard touchdown from Osiecki to Jason Thompson with 13:40 remaining. Ward's kick was good and the Chargers trailed 36-34.
The Hawks answered with a 12-play, 60-yard touchdown drive, but UNH immediate answered with a 10-play 60-yard touchdown drive of its own. The Chargers' drive was led four receptions by Washington-Ellison and capped by a 12-yard touchdown pass from Osiecki to Hall. Ward's point after was good once again and the Chargers found themselves down 43-41 with 5:13 remaining.
The UNH defense then stepped up and forced the Hawks to go three-and-out before the Chargers took their first lead of the game on a well-orchestrated game-winning drive. New Haven took over at its own 20-yard line and sophomore quarterback Osiecki marked the Chargers right down the field. New Haven marked the ball to the Hawks' 35-yard line before being faced with a fourth-and-one. The Chargers then ran a play-action fake to draw the defense in while tight end Lashley slipped into the flats. Osiecki, who kept the ball and rolled out on a bootleg, found Lashley in the flats around the 25-yard line and marched it all the way in for the game-winning score. The Chargers' two-point conversion failed, but they took their first lead of the game at 47-43 with 1:13 left on the clock.
The UNH defense then batted down three passes, including a near interception by defensive end Thomas Herd, on the Hawks final drive as they sealed a .500 conference record in their first season since 2003. With other scores around the NE-10 today, the Chargers clinched a fifth place finish in the NE-10 this season.
Both quarterback's dominated play on Saturday. New Haven's Osiecki tallied 362 yard and five touchdowns on 25-of-40 passing, while St. Anselm's Michael Pierce totaled 397 yards and three TD's on 37-of-63 passing.
The UNH rushing game also came alive on Saturday with the emergence of Smart as the primary running back. The freshman totaled 151 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. That total includes a season-high 80-yard touchdown run in the opening quarter.
Hall finished with eight catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns, while Washington-Ellison added seven grabs for 53 yards and a touchdown. Thompson also made five catches for 90 yards and a touchdown.
Moses White led the UNH defense with 12 total tackles. Herd finished with eight tackles, one sack and three pass break ups, while Anderson added seven tackles to his interception in the second half.
The Chargers conclude the 2009 season, with a chance to finish above .500, on Saturday, November 7 when they host Ohio Dominican College at DellaCamera Stadium. Game time is one hour earlier then usual at 12 p.m. Saturday is also the Chargers' "Chili Challenge," for more details visit www.newhaven.edu/athletics/chilichallenge.
