WASHINGTON, D.C. - Catholic University football senior Liam Dearing returned an onside kick 42 yards for a touchdown to seal the Cardinals' 23-13 victory over MIT Saturday at Cardinal Stadium.

Catholic (3-2, 1-0 NEWMAC) posted its first win in four meetings against the Engineers and its first in a NEWMAC opener since joining the league in 2017.

The Cardinals have now won four of their last five at home dating back to a 31-27 victory over Norwich on Nov. 2, 2019.

Catholic led 17-7 after sophomore Madden Lowe found senior Preston Jeffrey in the back of the endzone for a 5-yard touchdown with 5:01 remaining in the fourth quarter.

On the ensuing drive, MIT (2-2, 0-1 NEWMAC), who entered the quarter with just 158 yards, drove 92 yards on 13 plays in just 2:15 to make it a one score game with 2:38 remaining.

After missing the extra point, the Cardinals led by four and prepared for the onside kick attempt. However, the ball never made it 10 yards as Dearing snagged it out of the air three yards shy of the 45-yard line and raced 42 yards untouched to put Catholic back in front by two possessions with 2:32 to play.

Then, senior Matt Grant picked off Engineer quarterback Chris Mauck for the second time, preserving the victory on Family Weekend.

Led by a career-high nine tackles and one interception from freshman Mason Stillwell, the Cardinal defense limited MIT to 118 yards rushing and 201 yards passing while forcing four punts and two turnovers.

Lowe led the offense with 29 yards rushing and 209 yards passing, completing 29-of-43 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns to Jeffrey and senior Mark Cheffers. Cheffers had a career-high 10 receptions for 89 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown with 23 seconds left in the second quarter to give Catholic a 10-7 lead at halftime.

Senior Fabrizio Reilly made his fourth consecutive field goal attempt of the season with a 26-yard kick in the second quarter to put the Cardinals on the board. He is now 4-for-5 this season and 10-of-16 in his career with a long of 41 in the team's 32-29 win over Endicott at home on Sept. 18.

Catholic hits the road for just the second time in six games this season next Saturday, Oct. 9 as the Cardinals head to Worcester, Mass. to take on WPI. Kickoff from Alumni Stadium is at 1 p.m.

WPI recently announced the return of fans to campus for home games, but require all spectators to wear masks (with nose and mouth covered) at its facilities, both indoors and outdoors. More information on policies and procedures for next week's game will be posted next week.