DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Powered by 338 yards on the ground and a solid defensive effort, the UMass Dartmouth football team defeated Worcester State University, 32-7 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action on Saturday afternoon at Cressy Field. The Corsairs move to 3-3 overall and are now 3-2 in conference play, while the Lancers slip to 1-5 and 1-4 in the MASCAC.
The Corsairs jumped out to the early lead at 9:01 of the opening quarter as sophomore quarterback
Daunte Melton found senior wide receiver
Jael Cabrera for a 35-yard touchdown score. Junior rusher
Mekhi Wilson – who finished with 162 rushing yards on the day – nabbed the first of his two scores on the day with an 18-yard carry into the endzone at 3:09 of the first.
Worcester State responded in the second quarter, opening with a two-yard run by rusher Jermaine Norfleet to make it a 13-7 game, but the Corsairs answered on the other end as rookie running back
Luke Turco carried the first of his two scores six-yards into the endzone for a 19-7 lead at halftime.
Wilson netted his second touchdown of the game at 8:40 of the third quarter and Turco pounded his second score in – a 36-yard effort – to give him a career-high 137 rushing yards.
The Corsairs had chances to add to their advantage in the fourth quarter, including the opening drive as junior safety
Xavier Lopes intercepted Lancers quarterback Jack Orton, but UMD was unable to convert on the ensuing drive and were forced to punt.
Wilson and Turco shined on the rush, carrying the ball 25 and 14 times, respectively. Wilson had a long of 18, while Turco's was a career-high 36. At quarterback, Melton was 8-of-15 with 88 yards and a touchdown, while the receivers were paced by Cabrera, who had 65 yards on three receptions with the touchdown.
Defensively, the Corsairs had a number of critical moments, intercepting the Lancers three times on the afternoon. In addition to Lopes, sophomore defensive edge
Ancil Alexander and sophomore defensive back
Cisco Aponte also recorded interceptions. Senior lineback
Lamar Beaton led the way with six tackles, including four solo with two tackles at a loss of three yards and two pass breakups. Senior captain and defensive lineman
Kairis Codio added five tackles (2 solo) with a pass breakup, while junior defensive back
Bryant Lopes also had five tackles.
UMass Dartmouth returns to action next Saturday, traveling to Bridgewater for a key MASCAC matchup against the Bears. Action kicks off at 12pm.
