MUSTANGS LOSE A TIGHT ONE TO UTICA

The Mount Ida College Football team hosted Utica College today on a hot and humid afternoon losing 29-27 in a back and fourth game that ended on a failed two point conversion by the Mustangs.

The Pioneers took the lead 4:52 into the first half on a six yard run by sophomore tailback Kamaal Mabry (Goshen, NY/Goshen) going up 7-0 for the only score of the first quarter. That would be Mabry’s only score on the day giving him a total of 11 yards.

The Mustangs would charge down the field in the beginning of the second half on nine plays for 70 yards ending it with Senior quarterback P.J. Matthews (Baltimore, MD/Patterson) finding fellow senior tight end, Mark Mitchell (Waltham, MA/Waltham/Dean College), for the touchdown. The Mustangs would convert the two point conversion on a botched kick; it was picked up and fired into the end zone by Richard Dykas (Dedham, MA/Dedham) to junior Leonard Barrett (Hempstead, NY/Hempstead) to make it 8-7 in favor of the Mustangs.

The first half would come to and end with Mount Ida leading. In the beginning of the third quarter, Matthews would find star wide receiver Kyle Watkins (New Haven, CT/James Millhouse) on a 26 yard pass for the score. It was an eight play drive going for 60 yards with kicker Bobby Cardosa (Stoughton, MA/Stoughton) tacking on the point after attempt making it 15-7 in favor of the Mustangs.

But the Pioneers would come storming back with some outstanding play of their own scoring the next 16 points to take the lead with 8:40 left in the fourth quarter making it 23-15. The points would come off of two passes; both would be delivered from Pioneers quarterback Greg Pinelli (Bristol, PA/Bristol) hitting wide receivers Cody Elliot (Sloan, NY/John F. Kennedy) for a 16 yard toss and Jim Pincher (Albany, NY/Christian Brothers Academy) on a 22 yard catch. It would be topped off by a 30 yard field goal by kicker Casey McNulty (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook).

Mount Ida wouldn’t go quietly with Matthews hitting his favor target, Watkins, for the second time on the day; this one was a 25 yard bomb on a five play, 59 yard drive making the score very close, 23-21. The Mustangs could not convert the two point conversion on this one, failing to tie the score at 23.

Utica would set themselves up again on a 33 yard pass from Pinelli to Elliot for his second score of the day on a six play, 78 yard drive to kill the clock making it 29-21, giving the Mustangs not much hope for their second consecutive win of the season.

But as always, Mount Ida made it interesting. Matthews found a wide open Steven Harris (Plantation, FL/Plantation) on a 66 yard missile that hit the wide receiver in perfect stride. He had all day to run with nothing but grass in front of him to bring the Mustangs within two for the second time of the day. It was a similar situation for the green earlier try to convert the PAT, but they decided to pass the ball this time. The ball was bobbled in the right corner of the end zone by Harris, dropping to the ground, to all but seal the deal for the Pioneers ending it at 29-27.

Utica will advance their record to 2-3, while the Mustangs go into homecoming weekend dropping to 2-4.

Mount Ida will host the University of Rochester this upcoming Saturday for Homecoming weekend, starting at 1:00p.m.