Roger Williams defeated Central Connecticut 40-36 to gain a place in the national DII College Round of 16 Saturday, scoring on the last play of the game.

CCSU led in the first half as they used their size advantage and solid forward play to push RWU back. And with a smart kicking game the Hooligans pinned RWU back in their 22.

“We made some errors, poor decision-making,” said RWU Head Coach Chris Palombo. “We tried to play out of our end, which helped them get better field position, and three times we turned the ball over to them in their 40 and they scored.”

In the second half, Roger Williams stopped their penalties and knock-ons - they knocked the ball on 13 times in the first half - and used their fitness to get quicker, more secure ball and run the CCSU players ragged.

They won the second-half kickoff and scored seconds later. Then moments later they scored again … and again.

That made it 26-21 Central Connecticut, but Roger Williams inched closer and closer.

With time essentially up CCSU led 36-35. But RWU got a penalty and kicked for a lineout. At the lineout, a CCSU player pulled the RWO jumper down while he was in the air. That was another penalty, and hooker Mike Cedrone saw that the CCSU players were slow to get back, tapped quickly and dove over for the game-winner 40-36.

“It was a smart play,” said Palombo. “The guys made good adjustments. CCSU was big, a lot bigger than our guys, and while we were making tackles they were still making the gain line. We started to deal with that, and picked up the pace and kept the ball. The game could have gone either way, but I am glad we won.”

Roger Williams now has a date with Salisbury University in the Round of 16.