The Denver Gold pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat the Boston Breakers 36-20 in a back-and-forth contest at Nickerson Field. After a scoreless first quarter, Boston struck first with Matt Robinson connecting on a 9-yard touchdown pass to Frank Lockett early in the second quarter. Denver answered with a 14-yard touchdown run from Bill Johnson, tying the game at 7-7. Boston regained the lead shortly after with a 2-yard touchdown run by Vince Williams, but Denver responded once again before halftime, with Bob Gagliano hitting Marc Lewis for a 17-yard score to tie the game at 14-14.
Denver began to pull ahead in the second half, as Bill Johnson scored his second rushing touchdown of the game, a 13-yard run, giving the Gold a 21-14 lead. Boston trimmed the deficit with a 49-yard field goal from Tim Mazzetti, but Gagliano extended Denver’s lead in the fourth quarter with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Lonnie Turner. Mazzetti added another field goal for Boston, but the Gold delivered the knockout blow with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Gagliano to Bill Johnson, followed by a two-point conversion that sealed the 36-20 victory.
Johnson, who rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns while adding 100 receiving yards and another score, earned MVP honors for his all-around performance. Despite five first-half turnovers between both teams, Denver’s defense tightened up, forcing two turnovers and sacking Matt Robinson twice. The win moves Denver to 4-4-1, while Boston falls to 2-7 on the season.
