NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. (Oct. 24) -- Sophomore quarterback Sean Smith-Vaughan (Cumberland, Maine) threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Mike Seiger (Pittsfield, Mass.) with 4:27 remaining to lift visiting Nichols to a 13-10 victory over the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's football team in a New England Football Conference Boyd Division game at Cressy Field Saturday afternoon.

The play capped a 98-yard, 10- play drive that gave the Bison the lead for the first time in the game.

The Corsairs took the ensuing kickoff and drove to the Nichols 49, but senior running back James Moore was stopped on fourth down at midfield. UMass Dartmouth held, and got the ball back at their own 25 with 23 seconds left. They drove to the NC 37-yard line, but time expired.

UMass Dartmouth took the early lead, going 53 yards in three plays in the first quarter. Freshman quarterback Brendan McNeish hit senior wide receiver Marc Fiore for 32 yards on the first play of the drive, and Moore scored from 20 yards out two plays later. Freshman kicker Edgar Osols converted.

The Corsairs took a 10-0 lead after taking over at the Bison 35 following a 13-yard punt. They drove 23 yards in six plays before stalling at the NC 12, and Osols kicked a 29-yard field goal.

Nichols came back in the second quarter, getting on the board after a McNeish pass was intercepted by junior defensive back Brandon Wallace (Windsor, Conn.) and returned to the UMD 15. The Corsairs held the Bison to six yards in three plays, and freshman kicker Dave Wyrick (Avon, Conn.) booted a 25-yard field goal.

An interception by sophomore linebacker Chris Kerrigan (Hyde Park, Mass.) gave Nichols the ball at the UMD 49. The Bison drove to the UMD nine-yard line before the Corsairs held, and Wyrick's 26-yard field goal made it 10-6 at halftime.

Nichols drove deep into Corsair territory at the end of the third quarter, but Smith-Vaughan's pass was intercepted by sophomore defensive back Luke Poirier and returned 54 yards to the NC 41. The Bison held, but a punt by senior George Vasiliadis was muffed by freshman Jonathon Turner (Boston, Mass.) of the Bison, and junior Eric Pacy fell on it for the Corsairs at the NC nine. A personal foul and two running plays helped UMD move the ball to the Bison one, but McNeish was stopped on a third-down sneak by senior defensive lineman Bill Hassett (Oxford, Mass.) and freshman linebacker Justin Ward (Orlando, Fla.), and a bad exchange ruined the Corsairs' chances on fourth down. The Bison took over at their own two-yard line, and began their game-winning drive.

Moore rushed 12 times for 52 yards for UMD, while McNeish completed 15 of 25 passes for 110 yards, six to Fiore for 61 yards. Freshman Anthony Terenzi (Londonderry, N.H.) rushed 25 times for 85 yards for Nichols, while Smith-Vaughan completed 16 of 35 passes for 233 yards, four to Seiger for 62 yards.

Senior linebacker John Kelly had 14 tackles for the Corsairs, shared a sack and a tackle for lost yardage for seven yards, and intercepted a pass. Hassett had nine tackles for Nichols, including two for lost yardage.

The Corsairs fell to 0-8 and 0-5 in the NEFC Boyd Division with the defeat, while the Bison improved to 4-4 and 3-2 with the victory. Nichols hosts Curry on Saturday, October 31, in a 1 p.m. Senior Day game at Vendetti Field. 

Story courtesy UMD Sports Information

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