Brockport Drops Second Round Heartbreaker to RPI

BROCKPORT, N.Y. – The No. 3 College at Brockport football team saw their season end in disappointing fashion, as they were upset 21-13 by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The Golden Eagles finish their season with a record of 11-1, while the Engineers improve to 10-1 and advance to the third round. RPI opened up the scoring with a touchdown five minutes into the first quarter, but the Green and Gold defense held steady, not letting up another score in a first half that saw steady wind and rain that effected the field conditions. Neither team was able to get the offense rolling until the Golden Eagles caught their stride in the second quarter. Matt Arita jump-started the team with his eighth interception of the season, which came in the beginning of the quarter. The offense was led by junior quarterback Joe Germinerio, who used 13 plays to go 68-yards down the field. Germinerio hit Joe Benedict for a key third-down conversion, before later running 10 yards on fourth-down to keep the drive moving. A nine-yard touchdown toss to Joseph Ortiz put the team on the board. After forcing a three-and-out, Brockport was able to move 41 yards on seven plays, to take the lead on a Germinerio-to-Ortiz connection. The Golden Eagles took a 13-7 lead into halftime. The Engineer's answered after the break with a touchdown that put them up 14-13. The remainder of the third-quarter saw a defensive battle like none-other as both units traded punts and turnovers. A crucial stop came at the 2:40 mark, when RPI started a drive in Golden Eagle territory. A big-time tackle by Matt Szymanski was followed up by a break-up by Rashad Baker and constant pressure by a Terry McDonald and Tim Terry. In the final frame, RPI put another seven points on the board pushing the Brockport deficit to eight points. The Green and Gold made a valiant effort in the final drive, pushing the ball to the RPI ten-yard line, but couldn't complete the comeback, ultimately falling 21-13. Tyree Brown led the offensive efforts, racking up 147 rushing yards on 21 carries, while also catching four passes. Alex West led the defense with 11 total tackles, while Szymanski secured ten of his own. Baker did his best to protect against the passing attack, breaking up five passes. The Green and Gold capped another historic season, with several Golden Eagles setting records, as well as the team improving their regular season winning streak to 22. Be sure to stay up to date on all your Golden Eagle news, scores, and awards by following @BportAthletics on Twitter and by liking the "Brockport Golden Eagles" Facebook page.