Box Score WAVERLY, Mass. – A stout defensive performance and an early lead on some trickeration was not enough for the TCNJ football team on Saturday as host Endicott used two non-offensive touchdowns to break free for a 28-7 victory in New England.

Malin Jasinski completed a long touchdown pass to Jayson Schmidt on the second play from scrimmage, but it was all Gulls after that as the hosts rode their top-ranked defense to a 3-0 start.

Endicott, which won the CCC and made the NCAA Tournament a year ago, came in with back-to-back shutouts under its belt, but it took the Lions all of two plays to end that scoreless streak. TCNJ went straight to the trickery, with Stephen Begen passing behind the line of scrimmage to Jasinski, who found Schmidt streaking behind the defense for a 78-yard touchdown. It was the Lions' longest play from scrimmage to date.

Consecutive sacks by Logan Flaherty and Nick Celli killed the first Endicott possession, and a series of punts followed before the Gulls took over on the plus-43. The TCNJ defense only pushed the Gulls back from there, with Celli getting into the backfield for a four-yard loss and Sal Tardogno sniffing out a screen on 3^rd-and-long.

By the end of the first quarter, the Gulls had gained a measly seven total yards on 13 plays.

Mark Pierro's sack put the skids on another Endicott possession midway through the second quarter, part of a sequence of four consecutive three-and-outs forced by TCNJ.

The Gulls pulled even just before halftime, finally getting their offense untracked to go 77 yards in seven plays and tie the score at 7-7 on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Clayton Marengi to Anthony Bracamonte with 1:47 left in the second period.

Endicott took the ball right back on a strip-sack of Begen, taking over at the Lions' 18 with time to take the lead. Tardogno had other ideas, streaking through the A-gap for a 10-yard sack on second down before the Gulls' kicker missed wide right on a 39-yard field-goal try to send the teams into the locker room knotted at 7-7.

The defense picked right back up to start the second half, forcing a quick three-and-out courtesy of a sack shared by Pierro and Chris McCormack. The teams then traded turnovers on consecutive plays, Endicott forcing a fumble before Jack Young ran step for step with a Gulls receiver and picked off a deep pass down the left sideline to give the Lions the ball right back. It was the first interception of the rookie's career.

Having started at TCNJ's 41 before Young's pick, the Gulls got the ball right back in Lions territory after a short punt. Taking over from the 39, Endicott went in front for the first time on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Marengi to Edward Knowlton III, who outjumped a TCNJ defender down the left sideline and pulled down a jump ball and dash into the end zone with 10:16 left in the third.

A special teams miscue allowed Endicott to stretch the lead to 21-7, when a low snap squirted through punter Brian Puccio's hands. He tried to kick it off the ground, but the ball went only a few yards before being picked up by a Gull and returned 10 yards into the end zone.

The Lions gave the ball right back on the next play as Begen's pass deep over the middle was tipped and intercepted, giving the Gulls possession on the TCNJ 37-yard line. The swarming Lions defense held firm once more, eliminating the short field and sending Endicott back 10 yards to force a punt and keep the hosts within reach.

Cole Groschel made a monster play late in the third, stuffing an option run inches shy of the sticks on fourth down inside TCNJ's red zone to keep the Lions within 21-7.

Despite starting a third straight drive in Lions territory, Endicott came up empty-handed early in the fourth as TCNJ forced a long field-goal attempt that sailed wide left.

The Gulls, however, managed to put the game away with a 34-yard pick-six that made it 28-7 with exactly 3:00 left.

Despite the final score, TCNJ's defense was spectacular. The Lions limited Endicott to just 216 yards of total offense and a 3-for-18 effort on third down, making the Gulls punt 11 times.

Pierro and Groschel led the way with nine tackles apiece, with Pierro notching 1.5 sacks among his 2.5 stops for loss. Celli and Tardogno each had a sack and two tackles for loss, a number matched by Tyler Rummel (seven tackles).  

Thomas Burke caught six passes for 27 yards, his third straight game with at least five grabs.

Endicott held the Lions to 183 total yards and just 2-for-18 on third down, while Tyler Bridge picked up 116 yards on 31 carries. Marengi finished with 114 passing yards and the two touchdown tosses.

TCNJ opens NJAC play at Rowan on Friday, October 7.