NORTHFIELD, Vt.- The Norwich Football team fell to Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in a tightly contested New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) affair Saturday afternoon during the festivities of Parents and Family Weekend.

The two teams traded punts on their opening possessions, but on the Cadets' second set of downs, they struck first. On a double pass, Henri Bourque (Claremont, N.H.) connected with Connor McFarland (Manchester, N.H.) on a 55-yard scoring play. The Engineers muffed the ensuing kickoff, but the WPI defense held firm, turning Norwich over on downs.

The defensive grudge match continued into the second quarter, where the Engineers tied the game just before halftime, capping off a 15-play drive. Both defenses continued to rule the day in the second half, with both teams combining for 11 punts.

After a key rush on a fourth-down conversion by WPI punter/wide receiver Josh Castro in the fourth quarter, Jalen Elibert-Fowlkes (Saint-Hubert, Que.) came up with an interception to give the Cadets the ball. The Engineer defense held the fort, setting them up for an 11-play, 84-yard drive that culminated in a game-winning touchdown in the final minute. Norwich regained possession with two significant gains by Mike Cascarano (Lake Worth, Fla.) to set up a Hail Mary at the buzzer that fell incomplete.

Offensively, Landon Beecher (Holliston, Mass.) went 19-32 for 108 yards passing, while McFarland's five receptions for 73 yards and the touchdown led the way in receiving. Zay Smith (Stratford, Conn.) had the longest rush of the day and averaged 7.3 yards per carry.

On the defensive side of the ball, Ben Primich (Yardley, Pa.) led the way with eleven total tackles and a tackle for loss. Maddox Reed (Spring Hill, Tenn.) also stood out with two tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and a quarterback pressure to complement five tackles. Also recording tackles for loss were Elijah Torres (Bronx, N.Y.), Devin DeJesus (Chelmsford, Mass.), Imari Milton (Miramar, Fla.), and Michael Macaione (Gilmanton Iron Works, N.H.).

After a bye week, the Cadets will travel down to SUNY Maritime to continue NEWMAC play on Oct. 18 with a 2:00 p.m. kickoff.