PLYMOUTH, N.H. - Western New England College had the advantage in total yard and time of possession, but Plymouth State scored a fourth quarter touchdown for a 19-18 Homecoming victory Saturday (Sept. 30) in a New England Football Conference (NEFC) Boyd Division contest before a sun-baked crowd of 2,130 at Currier Field.

The Golden Bears (2-2, 0-2 Boyd) took a 9-0 lead after the first quarter following a 14-yard run by junior quarterback Pat Murphy (Kensington, NH) and 34-yard field goal by sophomore James Farrell (East Longmeadow, MA).

The Panthers (2-2, 2-0 Boyd) scored on a four-yard run by sophomore quarterback John DeMarco two minutes into the second quarter to cut the lead to 9-7.

Western New England College then marched from its own 10 to the Plymouth 4 going 86 yards in 19 plays consuming 9 minutes, 23 seconds, but had to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Farrell at the 3:22 mark for a five-point lead.

Plymouth State then punched in a late touchdown before halftime with DeMarco running four yards with 20 seconds left for a 13-12 lead after the extra-point kick attempt failed.

WNEC went ahead for the final time when Murphy connected with sophomore running back Jordan Capitanio (Torrington, CT) on a 57-yard touchdown with 4:04 left in the third period.

The Panthers later blocked a punt and needed only two plays to cover 11 yards for the go-ahead score when junior tailback Jeff Mack ran three yards only 1:59 into the final stanza.

Western New England College couldn't get any further than the PSU 28 in three possessions down the stretch.

The Golden Bears outgained the Panthers by a 305 to 231 margin, and controlled the ball for 31 minutes, 58 seconds.

Murphy was 12-for-23 for 156 yards in his first start of the season while freshman quarterback Justin Walz (Groton, CT) completed 6-of-7 passes for 35 yards.

Junior wide receiver Kevin Miculcy (Greenwich, CT) had a game high eight catches for 55 yards. He leads the NEFC with 31 receptions. Miculcy also moved into third-place on the school's all-time list with 109 receptions.

Senior free safety Jim Kantany (East Longmeadow, MA) led the defensive unit with 11 tackles (10 solo) and had a fumble recovery that led to the Golden Bears first touchdown. Senior strong safety Brent Dube (Lewiston, ME) also contributed 11 stops.