PLYMOUTH, N.H. – It was a historic afternoon for the UMass Dartmouth as they defeated Plymouth State University, 47-42, finishing the 2024 season with a perfect 10-0 mark. The Corsairs went a perfect 9-0 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action, becoming just the second team in program history to go undefeated in the regular season.
The Corsairs 10-0 season was only matched by the 2002 squad, who finished 11-1 – their only loss coming in the NCAA Tournament. UMass Dartmouth clinched the MASCAC title last weekend with a 56-14 win at Westfield State, earning the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. The Corsairs will find out their fate on Sunday at 5pm when selections are announced by the NCAA.
Against the Panthers on Saturday, senior rusher
Jalyn Aponte opened the game's scoring at 7:51 with a three-yard score. The Panthers quickly answered to open the second quarter as senior quarterback Braden Lynn ran in a touchdown of his own to even it at 7-7 at 12:25. The Corsairs turned around less than five minutes later as graduate student captain and quarterback
Dante Aviles-Santos found senior tight end
Jalen Kopecky on a 10-yard touchdown.
Despite the score, the Panthers answered once again as Lynn found the endzone with a nine-yard score. On the ensuing kickoff, junior rusher
Kevin Brown made a statement for the visitors, taking it 68-yards to the endzone for a 20-14 lead with 1:50 remaining. The Corsairs got the ball back in the closing seconds of the frame and graduate student
Marvens Jean capitalized, rushing the ball in from two-yards out for the 27-14 lead with 10 seconds till halftime.
In the third quarter, the Panthers battled back as senior rusher Willie Lombard drove it into the end zone with three touchdowns, including runs of 60 and 65-yards to give the home team a 35-27 lead. A one-yard run by Brown with a completed two-point conversion tied the contest at 35-all with 2:05 to play in the frame.
Fourth quarter action opened with a 42-yard pass from Aviles-Santos to senior wide receiver and captain
Angel Sanchez, giving the Corsairs the 41-35 advantage. That score was followed up minutes later by Brown, who blew through the Panthers defense for a 69-yard touchdown and the 47-35. The Panthers added a final score with 3:30 remaining to make it close, but the Corsairs held on.
UMass Dartmouth was paced by Aponte and Brown, who each recorded 133 yards on the ground. Aponte had 21 carries with a touchdown, while Brown rushed 16 times with two scores. Aviles-Santos went 15-of-24 on the day for 172 yards with two touchdowns, while in the air, Sanchez hauled in eight catches for 75 yards and a score.
Defensively, the Corsairs were paced by senior captain and linebacker
Mike Henricksen, who posted six total tackles, including five solo. Senior defensive back and captain
Logan Chappell had five tackles – all solo, while graduate student defensive back and captain
Shane Meerbott posted four solo tackles and one assisted, adding an interception for seven yards.
