WEST HAVEN, Conn. – A 47-yard field goal attempt for Pace was wide right as the University of New Haven football team held on for a 21-20 win over the Pace Setters in a Northeast-10 Conference match-up on Family Day at Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium. Leading the Chargers on the afternoon was the Charger Nation Player of the Game, freshman defensive back Javeon Ensley (/Plainfield, N.J.) who finished with eight tackles, including a tackle for loss and an interception. Among his tackles was a key fourth down goal-line stop that prevented Pace from scoring the game-tying goal in the fourth quarter.

Offensively, senior quarterback Ajee Patterson (Neptune, N.J./Neptune) closed out the game with 204 yards on 13 completions in 24 attempts with three touchdowns. Two of his three scoring passes went for more than 40 yards, including what amounted to be the game-winning touchdown, a 53-yard haul from sophomore wide receiver Damon Rodgers (Charlotte, N.C./Cheshire Academy). Overall the wide out finished with a team-high 71 yards on a pair of catches. Junior wide receiver Justin White (Holyoke, Mass./Holyoke) finished just behind Rodgers with 69 yards on eight catches. Patterson relied on five targets with Devin Martin (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville), Collin Hill (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) and Ryan McCarthy (Montclair, N.J./Bergen Catholic) all finished with one catch apiece. McCarthy also scored a touchdown for the Blue and Gold.

On the ground, New Haven finished with 99 yards on 31 attempts, led by McCarthy who accounted for 73 yards on 15 carries. Graduate running back Greg Orekoya (Billerica, Mass./Billerica) finished second overall with 43 yards on 12 attempts.

Defensively, junior Kevin Robinson (East Orange, N.J./Montclair) joined Ensley in leading the team with nine total tackles, including five solo stops. Sophomore Jeremiah McNear (Perth Amboy, N.J./Perth Amboy) added eight tackles while seniors Nigel Davis (Williamsville, N.Y./Saint Joseph's Collegiate Institute) and CJ Fitzpatrick also finished among the top defensive players with seven tackles apiece. Overall as a team, New Haven finished with seven tackles for loss, pushing the Pace offense back a total of 31 yards.

The Chargers also combined to pick off three of Pace's Dan Anerella's passes with Ensley joined by Anderson and Mcprecia Remy (Brooklyn, N.Y./Millwood) in stepping into the passing lane. Anderson also came up big in the fourth quarter, blocking what would have been the game-tying extra points with five minutes remaining in the game.

HOW THE CHARGERS SCORED

·        Facing a two-score deficit late in the second quarter, the Chargers mustered their first of three touchdowns on the day with McCarthy the beneficiary on a fourth-and-goal pass from Patterson. Overall in the drive, McCarthy ran for 11 yards before collecting the scoring pass from Patters. The big play in the drive came on the second play, a 20-yard pass from Patterson to Hill that put New Haven just outside the red zone.

·        The Chargers defense stood tall on the very next drive, forcing Pace to a three-and-out drive that left New Haven with 23 seconds before the intermission. Patterson wasn't going to settle for anything less than a touchdown, completing his first pass down the sideline to White. He followed that with a pass straight down the middle of the field that found Martin on the run with nothing between him and the end zone.

·        The final New Haven touchdown came on the Chargers second drive in the second half, a drive that lasted just four plays and took only 98 seconds. The drive began thanks to a pickoff by Anderson that set up the Chargers on their own 24 yard line. Orekoya started the scoring drive off with a 16-yard run before a couple of short plays set New Haven up with a third-and-three. Patterson answered by finding Rodgers deep down field on the near sideline. After making the over the shoulder catch, Rodgers reached into the end zone as he was being tackled to cap off the longest scoring touchdown of the day.

UP NEXT
The Chargers will step on the gridiron one more time before the conference-wide bye week on October 7. Next on the Blue and Gold's docket is the annual Elm City match-up against crosstown rival Southern Connecticut State University. New Haven looks to bring the Elm City trophy back to West Haven for the eighth-straight season, having won the last eight match-ups with the Owls, including a pair of victories last season. The lone game under the lights this season for New Haven is slated for a 7:00 p.m. kick off at Jess Dow Field. Complete coverage of the New Haven football team can be found at www.NewHavenChargers.com.