WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The No. 6 Kutztown University football team closed out one of the best season's in its 96-year history of the program Saturday afternoon.  In the second round of the NCAA Division II Championship playoffs, Kutztown fell to the fifth-ranked University of New Haven, 44-37, at DellaCamera Stadium.

Saturday afternoon's matchup featured two of the top six teams in Division II along with high-powered offenses able to strike at any time.  Kutztown (11-2) was ranked sixth in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) top poll and the second-seed in Super Region One, and New Haven (11-1) entered the matchup ranked fifth in the AFCA and second in Super Region One.

Senior Quarterback Marshall Vogel (Hatboro, PA/Hatboro-Horsham) threw for a career-high 356 yards and five touchdowns on 38-for-54 passing.  It was Vogel's first collegiate start of his career as he showed the toughness and poise of a veteran quarterback throughout the back-and-forth contest.

Vogel was one of 18 Golden Bear seniors to play in their final game of their collegiate careers on Saturday.  The journey has been nothing short of worthwhile over the past four seasons and looking back, Vogel couldn't be happier with his time at Kutztown.

"The end of your college career is inevitable, whether it comes in the NCAA Championship or the regular season," Vogel said.  "I feel I worked as hard as I possibly could have this year and I don't have any regrets looking back. With the way this team works, I would have been just as proud of our team if I would have played in every game, or one game.

New Haven scored 17 unanswered points off two Kutztown turnovers in the fourth quarter to give it a 13-point advantage with under two minutes to play.  Despite a last-second Colby Tuell (Columbia, PA/Columbia) 25-yard TD catch, the Charger lead proved to be too much for Kutztown to overcome.

Tuell finished with a pair of scores, each coming in the final seconds of the first and seconds half's.  He finished with four catches for 41 yards.

Junior running back Josh Mastromatto (Fort Washington, PA/Upper Dublin) was Vogel's main target through the air, mainly off a successful bubble-screen that the Golden Bears have perfected throughout their season.  He led KU with 129 yards on 11 catches including two touchdowns.  He also rushed for a game-high 54 yards on eight carries.

Mastromatto started the scoring montage with a 17-yard catch and run on the opening drive of the game to give KU the early 7-0 advantage.  He has now scored 25 touchdowns in KU's last 24 games.

New Haven responded with 13 points on its next three possessions, coming off a pair of field goals and a touchdown.  UNH was forced to settle for three points on back-to-back drives thanks to a Kutztown defense that stepped up when it mattered. The Chargers stalled inside the KU 5-yard line on both red zone attempts.

Erik Frazier (Philadelphia, PA/Germantown) gave Kutztown the lead with a 23-yard touchdown catch, putting KU on top, 14-13, with 8:27 remaining in the second half.  The senior had 75 yards on eight catches in his final game in maroon-and-gold.

A major play that partially set the tone heading into the locker room at halftime was one that Kutztown wishes it could take back.  After Tuell scored his first TD of the day, putting KU up 20-14 with 17 seconds to go, New Haven quarterback Ryan Osiecki tossed up a little magic of his own.  Osiecki threw up a Hail Mary attempt on the final play from 44 yards out and connected with receiver Jason Thompson to give the Chargers a 21-20 advantage.

Osiecki threw for 433 yards and five touchdowns on 23-for-31 passing in New Haven's victory.  Thompson was his top target on the afternoon as the duo hooked up for four TD scores.  The 6'3" receiver hauled in a game-high 214 yards on six catches and was a significant threat down the field for UNH.  New Haven scored on all five of its first-half possessions.

Kutztown kept the pressure on New Haven with a crucial defensive stand on the opening drive of the second half. Brett Moss (Bensalem, PA/Bensalem) headed the charge with a 10-yard sack on third-down to give KU a chance to retake the lead. Moss finished with seven tackles including one and a half sacks.

Moss has had a terrific senior season in his first year at KU.  He set a school-record for sacks in a season (18.5) and was part of a KU defense that allowed less than 14 points in five of its last seven games.

Andrew Hodges (Ridley, PA/Ridley) led KU with ten tackles.  He recovered a fumble on KU's own 1-yard line that ignited a 97-yard KU drive, ending in a Jack Ruggieri (West Grove, PA/Avon Grove) field goal.

Junior defensive back Alex DiNolfi (Norristown, PA/Norristown) had nine tackles in KU's setback.  A steady force all season long, DiNolfi set a school-record last week with 11 interceptions on the year.  He entered Saturday's game atop the NCAA in total interceptions and interceptions per game.

Senior wide receiver Josh Smith (West Lawn, PA/Wilson) tied a KU record with 23 receiving touchdowns in his career earlier this season. Smith suffered a torn ACL on the opening drive Saturday and did not return.

Despite the temporary disappointment and frustration, Kutztown has accomplished some amazing feats this season.  KU set a record for wins in a season while winning its first-ever Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship and an NCAA playoff game.  The sixth-ranking is also the highest in school history.  Kutztown scored 35 points nine times this season in rout to setting a school-record for points in a season (487).

"I'm very proud of our players and what we've accomplished this season," Monica said.  "Obviously it's disappointing to lose a football game and this one will hurt for a while.  But when looking back at the season, we had a great senior class that provided great leadership and chemistry to our team."