Box Score WESTFIELD, MA - The Western Connecticut State University football team closed out the 2014 regular season with a 7-3 record after claiming a 43-28 win at Westfield State Friday evening.
After falling behind 14-7 after the first quarter of play, Western scored 24 unanswered points to take a 31-14 lead into the locker room at intermission.
Sophomore quarterback Michael Nicol (Wolcott, CT) ended the day 12 of 21 for 247 yards and three touchdowns, while also contributing 68 yards on the ground.
Senior running back Tory Mack (Stratford, CT) carried the ball 26 times for 117 yards.
Junior wideout Connor Falaguerra finished with eight catches for 155 yards and 1 touchdown.
With the win, Western improves its 2014 record to 7-3, and finishes conference play at 6-2.
From the desk of Dave Caspole - Westfield State SID
Michael Nicol threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for another, to lead Western Connecticut State to a 43-28 win over Westfield State in the Owls regular season finale at Alumni Field on Friday night.
Westfield jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead on its first two drives of the game, capped by 1 and 2-yard touchdown runs from senior running back Michael Mercadante.
The Colonials responded with 38 unanswered points. Nichol connected with Tyre Pinder on a 50 yard scoring strike on a broken play, as Nicol escaped pressure and rolled right, finding Pinder alone at the 25 yard line, where he escaped down the right side avoiding a couple of tackles for the score.
Nicol found Connor Falaguerra for a 28 yard scoring strike to tie the game at 14-a;; with 12:20 left in the second quarter.
Nicol added a 1-yard scoring plunge with 5:49 left in the second quarter to give Western Connecticut the lead for good at 21-14.
After a Michael Killoran field goal boosted the lead to 24-14, Westfield had a chance to add points late in the first half, but the Colonials' Douglas Katz blocked Westfield's Mike Bortolussi's 30-yard field goal try. The blocked kick bounced directly to Jacobson Jean-Baptiste, who rumbled for 78 yards and a touchdown with 1 second left in the half for a 31-14 lead at the half.
Tory Mack finished with 117 yards rushing for the Colonials. Faluguerra caught eight balls for 155 yards.
Westfield got a yard TD run from Mercadante in the third quarter. The touchdown was the 38th of his career, to set a school-record, and his 16th of the season to tie the school's single season mark. Mercadante finished with 126 yards, and three touchdowns on the day. It was his seventh game of 120 or more yards this season and seventh game with two or more touchdowns. He finishes the year with 1289 yards rushing, the fourth best total in school history.
Westfield ends the season at 5-5, 4-4 in the MASCAC. Western Connecticut is 7-2, 6-2 in the MASCAC. The Colonials should receive strong consideration for an ECAC bowl game bid.
