CASTLETON, Vt. – Behind strong defense, the Dean College football team hung on for a 19-18 Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) road victory at Vermont State University Castleton (VTSU) in a tightly contested matchup Saturday night.

Dean (2-6, 1-1 ECFC) plays its final road game of the regular season next Saturday at Gallaudet. VTSU (2-5, 0-2 ECFC) travels to Alfred State next Saturday.

The Bulldogs' defense was the story of tonight's game as they held Castleton's offense off the scoreboard. The Spartans scored on a pair of interception returned for touchdowns, a blocked extra point returned for two points and a Dean safety.

Dean scored the lone touchdown of the first quarter on a 1-yard run by Fontabian Donalson Jr. (San Antonio, Texas) for the 6-0 lead.

The Spartans took a 7-6 lead, seconds into the second quarter, on an Ian DeTulleo 22-yard interception return for a score.

Sophomore quarterback Paul Hammond (Boston, Mass.) answered for Dean, a few minutes later, when he found first-year James Day (Hamilton, Mass.) for an 18-yard touchdown catch.  

The 13-7 halftime lead for the Bulldogs carried into the fourth quarter as neither team scored in the third frame.

Early in the final stanza, VTSU retook the lead on a 20-yard interception return touchdown by Max Fair.

With 3:10 to play, Hammond found first-year Da'Qwon Foster (Providence, R.I.) in the back corner of the end zone for an 18-yard catch and a 19-14 Bulldogs lead.

On the ensuing extra point try, the Spartans blocked the kick and returned it the distance to be credited with two points to pull within 19-16.

VTSU then took possession and moved the ball deep into the Dean zone thanks to a 65-yard catch and run by Wyatt Jackson. The Bulldogs defense held strong and forced a field goal try that went wide.

Dean took over but was pinned deep in their own end and eventually took a safety on purpose to waste some clock.

The Spartans received the free kick and could not muster a threat for the game-winning field goal. On fourth and long, sophomores Christian Donalson (Albany, Ga.) and Jerney Price (San Antonio, Texas) combined to bring down Evan Smith for the sack and end the game.

Senior Jordan Mason (Stockbridge, Ga.) led all pass catchers in the game with nine receptions for 100 yards. Foster finished with three catches for 44 yards and a score, while Day caught a couple of balls for 19 yards and a touchdown.

Sophomore Andrew Liverman (Union City, N.J.) tied for the game lead in tackles with 10. Senior Austin Roy (Blackstone, Mass.) was next with eight tackles and added to his league-leading sack total with his sixth of the season. Christian Donalson contributed seven tackles.