BRIDGEWATER, Mass. - After a convincing win over Westfield State last weekend, the Western Connecticut State University football team was edged at Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) foe Bridgewater State University, 35-28, on Saturday afternoon. The Wolves nearly scored the equalizing touchdown in the waning seconds. However, the play was broken up and the hosts escaped with the win. 

With the loss, WestConn dropped to 1-2 overall and 1-1 in MASCAC play, while the Bears improved to 2-2 and 2-0.

Wolves junior quarterback John Giller (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) threw for 277 yards and four touchdowns, while graduate student running back Chad Blaszky (Selden, N.Y.) rushed for 101 yards on 22 carries to pace the offense. 

Bears senior quarterback James Cahoon (Buzzards Bay, Mass.) was equally impressive, tossing 309 yards, while sophomore wide receiver Ryan Coonan (Worcester, Mass.) hauled in five catches for 100 yards. Graduate student running back Adam Couch (Winchendon, Mass.) ran for a pair of scores while racking up 79 yards on 23 rushing attempts.

After a scoreless opening quarter, the pace picked up in the second. Giller found rookie wide out Dae'Shawn Allen (White Plains, N.Y.) for a scoring strike from 12 yards out, giving the visitors the first lead of the contest. However, Bridgewater retaliated on the ensuing kickoff when junior Isaiah Wright (Worcester, Mass.) scurried past the Wolves unit for a 92-yard return, knotting the count up. 

WestConn responded with a big play of their own later in the quarter as Giller hooked up with junior wide receiver Julian Ferguson (Enfield, Conn.) for a 74-yard score. Once again, the lead was short-lived as the hosts put together a solid drive, marching downfield from their own 27-yard line. Couch capped the possession with a two-yard carry into the end zone. The game would be deadlocked at 14-14 at halftime.

Cahoon converted a pair of long throws on a drive early in the third stanza before Couch burst over the goal line from three yards out, giving Bridgewater its first lead of the game following the extra point at 21-14. Cahoon connected on another pair of deep balls in their next drive, setting up a one-yard scoring rush from junior running back Mack Driver (Mastic Beach, N.Y.), widening the gap to 28-14. The Wolves answered quickly when Giller spotted senior Alexandre Gonzalez (Waterbury, Conn.) in the Bears end zone for an 11-yard touchdown, evening the count at 28-28.

The Bears put together another lenghty drive early in the fourth quarter. Starting from their own 25, they would eventually tally the game-winning score when Cahoon snuck the ball to paydirt from a yard out. Bridgewater would hold a 35-28 advantage with 7:05 remaining. The Wolves would later get the ball back with 3:31 to go. Giller led the squad downfield to the Bears six-yard line before being sacked for a four-yard loss with 16 second left. He attempted a pair of passes on third and fourth downs, however, the Bridgewater defense was able to hold the line, knocking down both attempts and escaping with the win.

WestConn will look to rebound when they host UMass-Dartmouth at the Westside Athletic Complex on Saturday at 5 p.m.