WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven football team defeated Merrimack College 27-25 Saturday afternoon on Homecoming Day at Ralph F. DellaCamera

Stadium. The Chargers improve to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the Northeast-10 Conference, placing them in sole possession of first place with two games remaining on their schedule. The Warriors fall to 3-4 overall and 3-2 in conference play.

The visiting Warriors won the coin toss and elected to kick off to New Haven. The Chargers began their opening drive from the 21 yard line after a solid 11 yard return from Bernard Risco. Ryan Osiecki and the offense moved ball to the UNH 44 yard line but then failed to convert on a third-and-10 situation, forcing a punt from Chris Scifo.

Merrimack began the drive with decent field position after a 14 yard return, but suffered an unlucky break on the second play of the series. James Suozzo dropped back and had his pass intercepted by Desmond Anderson at the New Haven 43 yard line. Anderson’s pick notched the seventh of his campaign, granting the Chargers terrific field position.

The Chargers began the drive with back-to-back rushes from Ronnie Nelson and Victor Jones, grabbing a first down at the Merrimack 44 yard line. New Haven put themselves into a tough situation at third and 19, but was bailed out by a 27 yard pass from Ryan Osiecki to Demetrius Washington-Ellison. Victor Jones took the ball on five consecutive plays, eventually crossing the goal line for the game’s first score. Chris Scifo tacked on the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

The UNH defense held strong again on the ensuing Warriors’ possession, forcing the first Merrimack punt of the afternoon. A 36 yard boot left the Chargers at their 31 yard line and just less than five minutes to go on the clock.

The Chargers once again hit the Warriors’ defense with a powerful combination of the ground attack and Ryan Osiecki’s arm. New Haven moved the chains four times on the drive, getting all the way down to the Merrimack five yard line. Unable to pick up one yard from the five, the Chargers settled for a 24 yard field goal and a 10-0 advantage.

The two teams exchanged punts on the next two possessions, leading to Merrimack’s first score of the game five minutes into the second quarter. James Suozzo conducted an 87 yard drive, concluded by a three yard rushing touchdown. The Warriors failed on the point after, now trailing the Chargers by the score of 10-6.

The Chargers couldn’t construe anything offensively on their next possession, punting the ball back to the Warriors. Merrimack put together a solid drive but Desmond Anderson came up big with his second interception of the day in the Chargers end zone with just seconds remaining in the half. The Chargers ran out the clock and carried a 10-6 lead into halftime.

After the break in action, the New Haven defense needed to come up big, seeing as the Warriors’ offense had scored the majority of their points in the third quarter. The Chargers were up to the task, forcing a three and out to give possession to New Haven.

Mike DeCaro wasted very little time getting the offense going, breaking through for a 42 yard run from the line of scrimmage into Merrimack territory. Coupled with a 16 yard pass to Sharieff Hall and three more rushing attempts, the Chargers obtained a first and goal from the Warriors’ three yard line. On the next play, Victor Jones gripped the ball tightly and crossed the goal line for the second Chargers’ touchdown. Scifo added the extra point for a 17-6 lead.

On the ensuing Warriors’ possession, James Suozzo led Merrimack down the field with seven minutes to go in the third quarter. On a fourth and nine situation, the away team elected to go for it on the New Haven 29 yard line. The Chargers’ defensive line provided a great push and allowed Robert Hill and Tom Herd to bring down Suozzo for an eight yard loss. UNH took over on downs at their 29 yard line.

Ryan Osiecki composed a steady attack on the next possession, including a 40 yard strike to Josh Smart down to the Merrimack 27 yard line. Chris Scifo stepped up and nailed a 42 yard field goal to conclude the drive. The home team controlled a 20-6 lead with four minutes remaining in the third quarter.

However the conference’s number one ranked offense was finally able to strike again early on in the fourth stanza. James Suozzo punched in the Warriors’ second touchdown from the one yard line, cutting their deficit to 20-13 after the extra point.

The Chargers took over again but could not move the chains. The special teams unit came on to the field, successfully, and pinned the Warriors inside their five yard line. UNH followed with a strong defensive showing, forcing a punt from the Warriors.

With a short field ahead of them, the Chargers’ offense bore down and took advantage of their field position. Ryan Osiecki completed a 35 yard pass to Kameel Lashley and followed that with a 16 yard strike to Sharieff Hall for the touchdown. Scifo provided the extra point, granting the Chargers a 27-13 lead with 8:35 left in regulation.

Merrimack quickly bounced back with an eight play, 80 yard drive and a touchdown. Anthony Smalls carried the ball in from inside the three yard line for his first score of the game, cutting the Chargers lead to 27-19. Despite the touchdown, the special teams unit would make its presence felt; as Akaki Ramishvili blocked the point after to maintain an eight point lead.

New Haven collected a few yards on the next drive but was forced to kick back to Merrimack. The Warriors were also unsuccessful on their next drive, failing to move the ball one yard on the series. Electing to go for it on fourth down on the Merrimack 26 yard line, the Warriors were stood up by the UNH defense, giving the ball back to the Chargers with 3:17 left in the game.

On the very next play, Ryan Osiecki was picked off by Ian Weaver who then proceeded to gain 11 yards after the catch. The play gave James Suozzo and the Warriors’ offense one more chance. Suozzo was up to the challenge, taking Merrimack down the field and into the end zone with under a minute to play. Trailing by two, Merrimack had to go for the two point conversion to tie the score.

Just like again Southern Connecticut two weeks ago, the Chargers made the big plays when they needed to, keeping the Warriors out of the end zone. UNH collected the onsides kick attempt on the kickoff and solidified a 27-25 victory.

Ryan Osiecki paced an offense that amassed 391 yards on the afternoon. He completed 12-of-25 pass attempts for 199 yards and one touchdown. Mike DeCaro and Victor Jones combined for 158 yards on the ground while Demetrius Washington-Ellison made four catches for 77 yards to lead the receiving core.

Defensively, Bernard Risco recorded a team-leading 12 tackles and one for a loss of yardage. Desmond Anderson had two picks, increasing his season total to eight, as Mike Gomes chimed in with 10 tackles.

The Chargers return to action next Saturday, October 30 with an away game against Pace University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Pleasantville, N.Y. at Pace Field. Complete game coverage can be found at www.NewHavenChargers.com throughout the week.