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MUSTANG CITY FALLS IN ECAC BOWL TO SPRINGFIELD 26-17
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Ida College (6-5) | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
| Springfield College (9-2) | 13 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 26 |
| Springfield, Mass. | Stagg Field | |||||
| Mount Ida College | Springfield College |
|---|---|
|
Pa:
S. Drosendahl - 373
Ru: P. Shaughnessy - 44 Rec: P. Shaughnessy - 142 |
Pa:
Austin Bateman - 23
Ru: Austin Bateman - 141 Rec: Joe Myhren - 23 |
| TEAM STATISTICS | Mount Ida College | Springfield College |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 373 | 23 |
| Rushing Yards | 40 | 358 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of Poss. | 36:18 | 23:42 |
In their first ever appearance in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) post-season tournament, the Mount Ida College football program dropped a 26-17 loss in the North Atlantic Bowl to hosting Springfield College Saturday afternoon in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Mustangs put to bed a very successful 2010 season with an overall of 6-5 finishing their second season as a member of the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) with a 5-2 record.
Springfield drove down the field on the opening kick-off on a six play, 56 yard drive that finished with a four yard touchdown scamper by junior Alex Mendez (Cranston, RI) to take the 6-0 lead. A converted point after attempt by place kicker sophomore Ricky Peacock (Tucker, GA) made it 7-0 in the opening of the first quarter (13:24).
The Mustangs got on the board towards the end of the first quarter when freshman Jake Lawrence (Middletown, MA/Masconomet Regional) converted a 29 yard field goal trailing 7-3.
With 1:32 to go in the first quarter, the Pride scored their second touchdown of the game on a 29 yard run from freshman quarterback Austin Bateman (Gansevoort, NY). A blocked PAT attempt by Mount Ida senior Sean Simmons (Schenectady, NY/Schenectady) kept the score at 13-3.
Mendez would convert his second rushing touchdown of the game, this time from 24 yards out, with 9:03 to go in the second quarter to give the hosts a 19-3. The PAT was blocked by the Mustangs again, this time by freshman E.J. Murray (New Haven, CT/Wilbur L. Cross).
Neither team could convert a score due to stingy defense on both sides of the ball for the rest of the first half with the Pride leading 19-3.
The Mustangs came out with a totally different game plan and mentality for the entire half and it started in the opening of the third quarter. The Mount Ida defense stuffed the usually successful triple option attack by Springfield giving the Mustangs more chances on the offensive side of the ball.
Mount Ida struck with 7:31 on the clock in the middle of the third quarter on an impressive 49 yard strike from sophomore quarterback Scott Drosendahl (East Aurora, NY/East Aurora) to senior running back Paul Shaughnessy (Malden, MA/Northeast Metro Regional). Shaughnessy caught a perfectly thrown ball up the middle shredding the defense into the end zone. After a converted two point conversion from Drosendahl to Shaughnessy, Mount Ida would pull within eight (11-19).
After the Mustangs stymied the Springfield offense again, Mount Ida would storm down field on an 11 play, 75 yard drive finishing on a three yard out pass to the pile-on with brilliant catch by junior Nick Lynch (Hampton Bays, NY/Hampton Bays) pulling within two (19-17). Unfortunately, the two point conversion attempt failed leaving Mount Ida down by two.
The game went back and forth for over eight minutes with neither team able to convert a score with outstanding defensive play on both sides. With 8:39 showing in the fourth quarter, Pride sophomore Mike Davis (Madison, CT) scampered 20 yards out into the end zone to widen the margin (25-17). The Peacock point after attempt was good for the 26-17 lead.
Mount Ida had multiple opportunities in the final eight minutes of the game as well as Springfield but neither team could get anything going offensively. The Pride would ultimately capture the ECAC North Atlantic Bowl championship 26-17.
The Mustang defense was impressive led by senior safety Julien Baptiste (Greenlawn, NY/Elwood-John Glenn) with 11 total tackles (seven solo, four assist). Freshman defensive tackle Jon Proto (North Haven, CT/North Haven) added a forced fumble combined with eight total tackles. Murray was also outstanding with seven total tackles and a fumble recovery.
The Mount Ida offense was led by Drosendahl who went 34-57 with two touchdowns on 373 yards passing, his highest total of the season of attempts and yards. Lynch, who became the first receiver to eclipse 1,000 yards in a season in the program's history, added 12 catches for 86 yards and a score. Shaughnessy chipped in 11 catches on 142 yards and a touchdown and ran for 44 yards on 21 carries.
