NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — The Merrimack College football team showed grit and determination and executed a near-perfect two-minute drill that resulted in a 34-yard field goal for a 28-26 win over Southern Connecticut Saturday in NCAA Division II football playoff action at Warrior Field. The win was the Warriors’ first-ever in postseason tournament play, giving them an 8-3 overall mark. They will next face top-seeded Shepherd (10-0) in West Virginia next Saturday.

With 2:17 to play, Merrimack took possession and began the last drive of the game. On 4th-and-10, the Warriors took a false start penalty and a five-yard loss. Facing 4th-and-15, Colin Temple (Rutland, Vt.) connected for a 17-yard pass to Chris McNeill (Burlington, Mass.) for first down. This time, on 3rd-and-10, Temple connected for a 12-yard pass to Chris Laham (Westwood, Mass.). He followed that up with an eight-yard pass to Ryan Salter (Bridgewater, Mass.), setting up the 34-yard field goal attempt. After three Southern Connecticut timeouts, Garvey booted home the game-winning kick.

In a game that saw both teams take a total of 18 penalties for 218 yards, both teams went back and forth, exchanging scores for the duration of the game. Southern Connecticut broke into the scoring column first, pushing a touchdown across within the first minute of the game as Brandon Toles caught a 34-yard pass from Steve Armstrong. Merrimack got the seven points back when Mike Young (Norwood, Mass.) rambled in for a four-yard touchdown. The score remained tied after the first quarter.

Toles struck again, this time for a 12-yard rushing touchdown that gave Southern Connecticut a 13-7 lead. The Owls had the PAT blocked and Merrimack took a 14-13 halftime lead when McNeill caught a 13-yard pass from Temple and Garvey followed with with a PAT.

Southern Connecticut would take a 19-14 lead behind a 73-yard run by Toles. The junior running back collected an impressive 253 rushing yards on the afternoon. Merrimack, however, got three of those points back as Garvey connected on a 36-yarder to make the score 19-17 after three quarters.

The Warriors went up 25-19 on a 20-yard Laham reception and a two-point conversion, but with five minutes remaining in the game, Southern Connecticut took a 26-25 lead when Toles ran for 60 yards and his fourth touchdown of the afternoon. Merrimack got the ball back, setting up the final drive that covered 11 plays, 64 yards, and 1:53 on the clock and ended with Garvey’s field goal.

Toles led all rushers with a game-high 253 yards. Richard Johnson (Brockton, Mass.) and Young led Merrimack with 76 and 74 yards rushing respectively. Temple threw for a game-high 231 yards and two touchdowns. Scott Hayden (Chicago, Ill.) collected 13 tackles for Merrimack.

Merrimack will advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, facing top-seeded and undefeated Shepherd next Saturday. Game time is TBA.

SCORING SUMMARY
1st Quarter
SCS 14:20 Toles: 34-yard reception from Armstrong
MER 10:54 Young: 4-yard run; Garvey kick

2nd Quarter
SCS 9:58 Toles: 12-yard run; Roberts kick blocked
MER 1:18 McNeill: 13-yard reception from Temple; Garvey kick

3rd Quarter
SCS 14:28 Toles: 73-yard run; 2-pt conversion failed
MER 5:24 Garvey: 36-yard field goal

4th Quarter
MER 6:53 Laham: 20-yard reception from Temple; 2-pt conversion
SCS 5:00 Toles: 60-yard run; Roberts kick
MER 00:24 Garvey: 33-yard field goal