Lancers Fall in Fourth Quarter to Anna Maria

Worcester, MA- Coming off a record setting weekend last weekend at home, the Worcester State Football team (2-5, 2-4) face off with top of the conference foe Anna Maria in their bid to match last season's win total, and take down another new conference addition in the AMCATs.

Final

Worcester State: 35

Anna Maria:45

How it Happened: 

Worcester State, looking to rediscover the offensive rhythm they displayed last week, opened the game with a quick three-and-out. Anna Maria capitalized on their first possession as quarterback Nikolay Boyce went a perfect 5-for-5 on the drive, capping it off with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Anthony DaSilva.

The Lancers quickly answered back. Junior quarterback MJ Bakaysa (Plainville, MA) connected with junior wide receiver Lance Williams (Westerly, RI) on a 9-yard touchdown strike to even the score at 7-7.

Momentum stayed with Worcester State as the Blue and Gold forced a fumble on the ensuing possession. Although the drive would stall on third down, sophomore kicker Louie Freitas (Dartmouth, MA) drilled a 38-yard field goal to give the Lancers their first lead of the day, 10-7.

The second quarter turned into a back-and-forth battle. After an Anna Maria touchdown, Bakaysa fired his second scoring pass of the game, this time to junior wideout Jermaine Norfleet Jr. (Agawam, MA), to reclaim the lead, 17-14. On the following drive, junior running back Gavin Hatfield (Lexington, MA) broke free for a 43-yard run, setting up a Freitas 28-yard field goal to extend the lead to 20-17. However, Anna Maria responded quickly, driving 75 yards in just 32 seconds to score and take a 24-20 lead into halftime.

The second half opened in familiar fashion, as Anna Maria struck first with another touchdown. Worcester State remained unfazed, answering with a 32-yard touchdown connection from Bakaysa to sophomore Jack Poirier (Wellesley, MA), narrowing the deficit to 31-28.

Trailing by 11 in the final quarter, Worcester found life once again through Norfleet, who took a direct snap out of the wildcat formation for a 3-yard touchdown before converting the two-point attempt himself to make it a 38-35 game. The Lancer defense came up with a crucial stop, but the offense ran out of steam in the final eight minutes as Anna Maria added a late score to secure the 45-35 victory.

Bakaysa finished the day with 266 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Williams led the receiving corps with 11 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown, while Norfleet contributed both through the air and on the ground in a strong offensive showing for Worcester State.

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What's Next:

The Blue and Gold (2-6, 2-5) are on the road next Saturday as they head down to Mass. Maritime for a return home for Head Coach Lazaro Mitjans who was previously an assistant coach with the Buccaneers for a 12pm start.