SPRINGFIELD, Mass. â€" Junior running back Gerard Festa (Revere, MA) ran for 152 yards and two touchdowns as visiting Endicott College rallied for a 24-14 victory over Western New England College in the NEFC Boyd Division opener for both teams. This also was the home opener for the Golden Bears and new coach Keith Emery.

The victory was the second straight for the Gulls who evened their record at 2-2.

Western New England College (0-3) took a 7-0 lead when junior quarterback Jon Tallerico (Port Chester, NY) tossed a four-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Kevin Miculcy (Greenwich, CT) with 24 seconds remaining in the opening period following an Endicott turnover. Junior Adam Maher (Athol, MA) put the Gulls on the board with a 35-yard field goal at the 10:34 mark of the second quarter.

The Golden Bears took their biggest lead at 14-3 when freshman running back Jordan Capitanio (Torrington, CT) raced 53 yards for a touchdown on his first collegiate attempt.

Endicott took advantage of a roughing the kicker penalty to move 85 yards in 10 plays that ended when Festa scored on a one-yard run 32 seconds before intermission.

After a scoreless third period, Endicott went ahead for good at 17-14 when Festa scored from two yards out to complete a 13-play, 81-yard drive with 13:23 remaining in the game. The Gulls’ defense then took over preventing the Golden Bears from moving into scoring territory. Junior Tim Boyd (Rockland, MA) scored from two yards out with 58 seconds left to complete the scoring.

Endicott rushed for 272 yards and out-gained Western New England College by a 363 to 236 margin.

Tallerico completed 16-of-29 passes for 97 yards, but suffered three interceptions and three sacks. Miculcy had a solid afternoon with eight receptions for 73 yards. Capitanio led the Golden Bears with 63 yards rushing on three carries.

Senior linebacker Brett Hanson (Gilbertville, MA) and junior linebacker Matt Guaragna (Port Chester, NY) led the Golden Bears with 8.5 tackles apiece. Senior noseguard Brendan Guidi (Holyoke, MA) and junior cornerback Brent Dube (Lewiston, ME) each added eight stops.