CASTINE – This is getting old in a hurry to the Maine Maritime Academy football team.

For the second time in three games, the Mariners played a solid game defensively before losing in the final minute. This time it was Massachusetts Maritime Academy of Buzzards Bay that pulled off a 15-13 win on a 22-yard Roger Gundin field goal with just 1:01 remaining in the game.

The kick gave the 1-2 Buccaneers the Admirals Cup and sent a homecoming crowd estimated at 2,500 home disappointed.

“It’s tough,” Mariners coach Chris McKenney conceded. “We played a good game defensively.”

Indeed they had. After allowing a pair of rushing touchdowns to Keith Griffin in the first quarter that gave the Buccaneers a 12-0 lead, the Mariners shut the door on the Bucs.

Meanwhile, Maine Maritime began to have some success moving the ball.

The Mariners put together an eight-play, 66-yard drive to start the second quarter that culminated in a 6-yard run by quarterback Jeremy Belyea of Olamon and Old Town High School.

The key plays in the drive were a 36-yard Belyea pass to Curtis Brown and an 11-yard run by former Stearns of Millinocket standout Justin Cummings.

“We were able to move the ball pretty good,” Belyea said. “And I thought our defense played very well.”

The Mariners took the lead on their next possession and needed just one play. Former Lawrence of Fairfield running back Don Thibodeau, who finished the game with 94 yards on 15 carries, took a handoff from Belyea, found an opening in the line, cut to the outside, and raced 54 yards down the right sideline for the touchdown. B.J. Dunlap added the point-after and the Mariners held a 13-12 lead.

And it stayed that way until late in the game when it looked like the 0-3 Mariners might push across another touchdown after Alger Yanush of Milford and Old Town High School intercepted a Walter Latta pass and returned it to the Buccaneers’ 6-yard line.

But the Bucs’ defense held, forcing Dunlap into a 19-yard field-goal attempt that glanced off the right upright.

The Bucs took over on their own 20 with 5:06 remaining in the game. After having had little success offensively since the first quarter, Latta began moving the team down the field.

“I told the guys we were going to take the cup home with us,” Latta said. “We put it together when we had to.”

Latta completed three passes as the Bucs steadily moved the ball into scoring territory. The drive stalled at the Maine Maritime 5-yard line and the Buccaneers called on Gundin to win the game for them.

Latta completed 14 of 28 passes for 153 yards with one interception.

BUCCANEERS 15, MARINERS 13

Mass. Maritime (1-2) 12 0 0 3 ? 15

Maine Maritime (0-3) 0 13 0 0 ? 13

Mass. ? Griffin 9 run (kick failed)

Mass. ? Griffin 4 run (pass failed)

MMA ? Belyea 6 run (kick failed)

MMA ? Thibodeau 44 run (Dunlap kick)

Mass. ? Gundin 22 field goal

Mass. MMA

First downs 14 15

Rushing att.-yards 39-96 42-213

Passing comp.-att. 14-28 2-18

Passing yards 153 58

Total yards 249 271

Punts-avg. 7-36.9 5-38.4

Fumbles-lost 1-1 5-3

Intercepted by 0 1

Penalties-yards 8-71 6-55

Rushing

Mass.: Stinson 19-65, Griffin 12-38, Tragresser 2-14, Holt 1-10, Latt 4-(-14), team 1-(-17); MMA: Thibodeau 15-94, Cummings 4-45, Belyea 20-43, Googins 3-31

Passing

Mass.: Latta 14-28-1-153, Holt 0-1-0-0; MMA: Belyea 2-16-0-58, Dunlap 0-2-0-0

Receiving

Mass.: Holt 6-50, Stinson 4-67, Griffin 2-19, Muldoon 2-17; MMA: Brown 2-58

A ? 2,500 (est.)