SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 17, 2023) – The Western New England football team wrapped up the regular season last week by defeating the Colonels of Curry College by a final score of 48-27, ending the regular season with a 7-3 record and 4-1 mark in CCC play. WNE was selected to participate in the New England Bowl Series while also being to host the game at Golden Bear Stadium on Saturday, November 18 at 12:00 PM against Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) runner-up UMass-Dartmouth, who claimed a share of the MASCAC title though was beaten out in the head-to-head matchup with Western Connecticut.
Last Time Out:
Western New England totaled 490 yards in the win over Curry College this past weekend, running for 336 yards while tossing for 154 yards to defeat Curry. WNE has won eight straight against the Colonels, scoring at least 30 points in seven of those eight matchups. WNE opened the game with the first score of the game, though Curry came back on a two-play, 75-yard drive to take their first and only lead of the game. The Golden Bears would come back with the next three touchdowns in the game to take a 27-7 lead, which would be too much for the hosts to handle. The Golden Bears came away with 21 second-half points to roll over Curry, defeating the Colonels by a final score of 48-27. Western New England rushed 61 times in the game while throwing 15 passes. The Golden Bears ran for five touchdowns while throwing for two in the win.
UMass-Dartmouth has just one blemish on the season, falling on the road to MASCAC champion Western Connecticut State University at the midway point of the season. The Corsairs complied a 9-1 record for the season, defeating two Commonwealth Coast Conference opponents to start the season, defeating Nichols College 57-6 and Curry College 28-14. Last time out, the Corsairs defeated Plymouth State University by a final score of 41-7. UMD totaled 515 yards in the game, running for 347 yards while throwing for 168 yards. The run-heavy offense scored four touchdowns on the ground while seeing two rushers net over 100 yards in the win. The Corsairs grabbed the first 21 points in the game, including an opening drive, eight play, 75-yard sequence to open the game with the lead, a lead the Corsairs never lost, running over Plymouth State by a final score of 41-7. The Corsairs have scored 367 points on the season while allowing opponents to score just 130 points through ten games this season. In their nine wins on the season, UMass-Dartmouth has held their opponents to 14 points or fewer in eight of those nine wins. UMD has scored 231 of their 367 points in the opening half this season while averaging 36.7 points per game.
Western New England's Offense:
In their win over Curry, Western New England saw
Dillon Kohl rush 13 times for 71 net yards while scoring three touchdowns in the game to lead the Golden Bears. Six Golden Bears rushed for over 20 yards in the game, including inside linebacker
Jake Chiasson, who pulled off a fake punt and took the ball 61 yards for a touchdown.
Tyler Millerick contributed with ten completions on 15 attempts, throwing for 154 yards and two touchdowns.
Matt LaMontagne,
Ryan Carlson, and
Ryan Larson all ran for over 20 yards, while
Danny Gisonno crossed the end zone once to help propel the Golden Bears to a road victory.
Tyler Borwhat caught two passes for Western New England for 55 yards in the win. while
De'Andre Harris was the only other Golden Bear to record more than one catch in the game, as eight total Golden Bears caught passes in the game. This season, Western New England has averaged 251 rushing yards and 165 passing yards per game, totaling 416 yards of offense, which sits 58
th in the nation. WNE's rush offense sits 11
th in the nation, while their total scoring sits 61
st in the nation.
UMass-Dartmouth's Offense:
The Corsairs have rushed for just under 220 yards per game while throwing for 226 yards per game, totaling just over 445 yards on the season. In last week's win over Plymouth State, UMass-Dartmouth was led by graduate student Luis Gonzalez, who attempted 26 rushing yards while netting 221 yards on the ground, running for three touchdowns in the win. On the season, the Greenacres, Florida, native has run for 129 yards, collected 882 yards from scrimmage, and scored 13 total touchdowns. Over his four seasons with UMD, Gonzalez has rushed for 2,839 yards while scoring 39 touchdowns. Western New England's defense will also look to deal with Jayln Aponte, who has attempted 119 rushes this season, gaining 600 yards and seven touchdowns. Quarterback Dante Aviles-Santos completed 15 passes on 19 attempts, throwing for 168 yards and two touchdowns in the win. The senior has had an outstanding career in blue this season, throwing for 2,233 yards while collecting 21 touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns. Two Corsairs caught four passes each in the win as Angel Sanchez collected four passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns over Plymouth State. Sanchez has 40 catches this season for UMD, averaging 81 yards per game while hauling in nine TDs on the year. Jalen Kopecky also grabbed four passes against Plymouth State, collecting 38 yards.
Western New England's Defense:
Two-time CCC Defensive Rookie of the Week
Ben Caulfield led the Golden Bears again in tackles last week at Curry, picking up three solo tackles and four assisted tackles, good for seven tackles on the day.
Caulfield picked up 0.5 tackles for loss in the win. Western New England set Curry behind the line of scrimmage six times in the game, led by
Cam Leblanc, who notched three solo tackles and two assisted tackles, good for five tackles on the day. The graduate student made 1.5 tackles for loss to lead the team.
Dalton Franco contributed on the defensive end, ending up with six total tackles and one tackle for loss in the win over Curry. On the season, Western New England's defense ranks second in the CCC.
Jake Chiasson leads WNE with 106 total tackles on the season, while
Joe Shea,
Jason Shumilla,
Cam Leblanc, and
Dalton Franco have recorded over 50 tackles for the Golden Bears this season.
Omari Lewis leads Western New England with ten breakup passes while recording one interception. The cornerback has come away with 37 total tackles on the year.
UMass-Dartmouth's Defense:
UMass-Dartmouth's defense ranks among the top in the nation this season, with their total defense sitting 17
th in NCAA Division III. Logan Chappell recorded nine tackles, four solo and five assisted, in the win over Plymouth State, recording two tackles for loss and one total sack while getting to the quarterback once. Trell Best also made nine tackles for UMD in the win while grabbing the team's only interception of the game. The Corsairs dropped the Plymouth State quarterback three times while recording four total tackles for a loss. UMass-Dartmouth's defense has allowed an average of 13 points per game, shutting out their opponents twice while giving up seven points in three other games. Three Corsairs have eclipsed the 70-tackle mark, as Trell Best (74), Jackson Wellman (74) and Mike Henricksen (71) have all contributed heavily to UMD. The Corsairs have recorded 58 tackles for loss this season while recording 27 sacks, led by Sam Alicea, who has notched 8.5 sacks this season to go along with one break-up pass, five quarterback hits, one fumble recovery, and 13 total tackles for loss.
Western New England's Special Teams:
Andrew Havens made six of seven extra-point attempts for the Golden Bears in their win over Curry College while being forced to punt just once, netting a 36-yard punt. This season,
Havens has made three of seven field goal attempts while punting 27 times, averaging just over 37 yards per boot. The senior has a season long of 59 yards while totaling two touchbacks, ten fair catches, and three punts over 50 yards.
UMass-Dartmouth's Special Teams:
Braedyn DeMarco has recorded just two field goal attempts this season for the Corsairs, failing to convert on both attempts. The junior is 28/36 on extra-point attempts this season. Corey Kilroy has collected 14 punts this season, splitting time with Chris Kaminski, who has notched eight punts. Kilroy has averaged 29 yards per kick, while Kaminski has recorded just over 30 yards per boot.
The Game:
Western New England has the upper hand in the last nine meetings with UMass-Dartmouth, having won five of the last nine meetings, with the last coming in 2012, a win on home field for the Golden Bears. UMD has an 11-5 record all-time against Western New England. This is the second bowl game for both teams, as Western New England will host their second bowl game, with their last coming in 2021 when Merchant Marine defeated WNE. UMass-Dartmouth's only other bowl game selection also came in 2021, defeating Alfred State University on their home field.
New England Bowl History
Year Result Location
2016 Framingham State 37, Salve Regina 34 Middletown, R.I.
2017 Framingham State 48, Curry 14 Framingham, Mass.
2017 WPI 17, SUNY Maritime 3 Worcester, Mass.
2018 Bridgewater State 34, Salve Regina 19 Bridgewater, Mass.
2018 Merchant Marine 38, Endicott 22 Beverly, Mass.
2018 Springfield 17, SUNY Maritime 14 Springfield, Mass.
2019 Endicott 52, Dean 10 Beverly, Mass.
2019 WPI 35, Western Connecticut State 6 Worcester, Mass.
2021 Merchant Marine 63, Western New England 35 Springfield, Mass.
2021 UMass Dartmouth 42, Alfred State 16 Dartmouth, Mass.
2022 Plymouth State 21, Husson 20 Bangor, Maine
2022 Bridgewater State 34, Catholic 24 Bridgewater, Mass.
In additional to the contest, Salve Regina University will host Anna Maria College in the second New England Bowl game on the same date and time.
Tickets will be available at the main ticket entrance and are not available to purchase online. Tickets will be cash only, $10 for adults, and $5 for children, seniors, and visiting students.
To watch the New England Bowl game, click
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