NEW LONDON, Conn. (November 7, 2015) - Western New England University found the end zone on each of its first three possessions and opened up a 42-0 halftime lead on its way to a dominant 51-0 shutout victory at the United States Coast Guard Academy this afternoon in New England Football Conference (NEFC) action at Cadet Memorial Field.
 
With the win, Western New England (9-0, 6-0 NEFC) extends its program-record winning streak to 11 games and moves one step closer to completing the first undefeated regular season in school history. The Golden Bears will take on Salve Regina University (7-1, 5-1 NEFC), which rolled to a 49-14 win over Maine Maritime today, next Saturday in Springfield with the NEFC title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship on the line. Coast Guard (5-4, 4-2 NEFC) sees its run at a conference championship come up short heading into next weekend's regular season finale at Endicott College.
 
Western New England, ranked No. 19 in this week's American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III Coaches' Poll, turned in its most complete effort of the season, dominating play on both sides of the ball en route to a statement win. The Golden Bears piled up  a season-high 586 yards (348 rushing, 238 passing) of total offense, surpassing the 500-yard mark for the fifth time this fall, while holding Coast Guard to a season-low 125 yards. Western New England converted on 65% (11-of-17) of its third down opportunities and limited the Bears to just two conversions in 12 tries (17%).
 
Graduate quarterback Tyler Ward (Wyckoff, N.J.) was extremely efficient in piloting the Golden Bear offense, as he set a program record for completion percentage (88%) after connecting on 22 of his 25 attempts for 216 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Ward's two passing scores bring his season total to 16 (2^nd in NEFC), matching the program record that he set last fall.
 
Junior running back Nick Connell (East Marion, N.Y.) spearheaded the Western New England ground attack with 109 yards on 17 carries (6.4 avg.) and two touchdowns, while Ward added 50 yards and senior Kevin Degnan (Irvington, N.Y.) carried the ball six times for 37 yards and two scores. Connell has now posted 100-yard rushing performances in four consecutive contests and five times overall this season, and his total of 906 yards is good for third in the NEFC.
 
Ward spread the ball around in the passing game, finding 12 different receivers including six that recorded multiple catches. Junior Mohamed Camara (New York, N.Y.) led the way with five receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown, while sophomore Dante Aiken (Brooklyn, N.Y.) caught three balls for a game-high 49 yards and classmate Mark Dietrich (Cheshire, Conn.) finished with four receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown.
 
Senior captain Dean Soucie (North Easton, Mass.) set the tone for the Western New England defense, recording seven tackles (0.5 for loss) to go with an interception that he returned for 41 yards late in the second quarter. Sophomore Kevin McLaughlin (Colorado Springs, Colo.) also finished with seven tackles (2.0 for loss), while senior Steve Melino (Mount Laurel, N.J.) contributed five tackles, one sack and a pass breakup.
 
Sophomore Adam Davis (Griswold, Conn.) and freshman Ethan Goldcamp (Morgantown, W.V.) split time at quarterback for Coast Guard, combining for 72 yards on 16-of-29 passing. Senior running back Mike Clancy (Havertown, Pa.) was limited to 28 yards on ten carries (2.8 avg.), and junior Kyle Jackson (Lincoln, R.I.) made four receptions for 27 yards.
 
Senior defensive back Joe Rizzardi (Ashburn, Va.) turned in a strong performance in an otherwise tough day for the Bears, as he registered a game-high 13 tackles (11 solo) to go with an interception and a pass breakup.
 
Western New England marched right down the field on its opening possession this afternoon, passing the ball just once during the ten-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a five-yard touchdown run by Degnan as the Golden Bears jumped out to a 7-0 lead. Coast Guard's first drive stalled when Melino sacked Davis for a loss of seven yards on third and nine, and another successful Western New England possession followed, as Connell finished off the four and a half minute drive with a one-yard plunge into the end zone.
 
Things wouldn't get any easier for Coast Guard, as a lost fumble on the ensuing kickoff set up the Golden Bears with first and ten from the 22-yard line. Western New England continued to pound the ball on the ground, running on five straight plays, including Aiken's six-yard touchdown that staked the visitors to a 21-0 lead at the 3:48 mark of the first quarter.
 
After failing to score on their next two possessions, the Golden Bears extended their lead to 28 midway through the second quarter when Ward connected with Camara for a nine-yard score to cap a nine-play, 65-yard drive. Soucie then picked off a pass by Davis on the first play of Coast Guard's next drive and returned it all the way to the Bears' four-yard line, setting up a five-yard touchdown run by Connell , his 11^th rushing score of the season (2^nd in NEFC).
 
Western New England put the finishing touches on its 42-point half just 49 seconds before the teams headed for the locker rooms, as Ward found Dietrich in the end zone for a five-yard touchdown strike. Ward completed six of seven passes for 76 yards on the eight-play drive.
 
The Golden Bears would punch in one more touchdown at the 4:50 mark of the third quarter on a 14-yard run by Degnan, before a Coast Guard safety late in the fourth quarter wrapped up the scoring in the contest.