BEVERLY, Mass. â€" Sophomore quarterback Jon Tallerico (Port Chester, NY) completed 25-of-47 pass (both school records) for 251 yards and three touchdowns, but it wasn't enough as Western New England College dropped a 44-21 decision to Endicott College in its NEFC Boyd Division opener.

Nine players caught passes led by freshman wide receiver Kevin Miculcy (Greenwich, CT) who had eight receptions for 98 yards and his first collegiate touchdown (8 yards). Senior wide receiver Stephen Johnson (Easton, MA) had six receptions for 40 yards.

Endicott (2-2, 2-0) raced to a 20-0 lead after the first period and led 27-0 before WNEC cut the margin to 27-7 when Tallerico tossed an eight-yard scoring pass to Miculcy with 6;44 left before half-time.

The Golden Bears (1-2, 0-1) could get no closer than 20 points (34-14) in the second half.

Endicott out-gained WNEC by a 438-257 margin. Gulls quarterback Alex Smith also had a big game completing 9-of-17 passes for 225 yards and three TDs.