SELINSGROVE, Pa. (September 23, 2023) – The Western New England football team put up a fight on the road on Saturday afternoon, though ultimately came up short as the River Hawks of Susquehanna University remained undefeated on the season, defeating WNE 26-18.

Records:

• Western New England: 2-2
• 15 Susquehanna University: 4-0

How it Happened:
Western New England would open the game with points on their first drive after Conrad Swanson would pace Western New England with a 58-yard rush, which would then be capped off by the first field goal of the season attempted and made by Andrew Havens, who knocked through a 23-yard attempt, giving the Golden Bears the early 3-0 lead. Susquehanna would burn over eight minutes of clock and would take 15 plays to march down the field to score the first touchdown of the game when Tommy Grabowski crossed the endzone, giving the River Hawks a 7-3 lead. The lead would remain in favor of SU after the first 15 minutes of play.

After a quick drive that did not end in a score for the Golden Bears, Susquehanna would use a 16-yard rush up the middle by quarterback Josh Ehrlich to spark a 39-yard field goal that went through the uprights, extending the River Hawks lead to seven points and taking a 10-3 lead. Western New England would go three-and-out on the next drive while the River Hawks would march down the field quickly and put up their next touchdown of the game after Grabowski crossed the endzone for the second time in the game, giving Susquehanna a 17-3 lead. The Golden Bears would fight back, however, and use 5:38 of the clock and 13 plays to get their first touchdown of the game. Tyler Millerick and Tyler Borwhat would connect on a 28-yard pass in the sequence, while the touchdown would be finished off by a 13-yard pass from Millerickto Ryan Larson, who took a 13-yard pass to the house, grabbing the next six points for the Golden Bears and giving Western New England ten points for the night, trailing 17-10. Susquehanna would connect on another 39-yard field goal to end the half, as the River Hawks would take a 20-10 lead after 30 minutes of play.

The Western New England defense, led by Jake Chiasson and Dalton Franco, would force the River Hawks off the field quickly to open the third quarter. Neither team would come up with a point in the third quarter, as the defense for the Golden Bears and the River Hawks would stay strong. The River Hawks would end a 13-yard play from the end of the third quarter to the start of the fourth quarter with another successful field goal, as Christian Colasurdo connected for 33 yards out to give Susquehanna a 23-10 lead.
Turnovers would be the story of the game for Western New England, as the momentum of the offense would be halted by three interceptions on the day from Conrad Swanson. At the midway point of the fourth quarter, Susquehanna would take their largest lead of the game with a 30-yard field goal to take a 26-10 lead.

On the next Western New England offensive attack, a 6-yard touchdown would come through as Tyler Borwhat would catch a pass from Conrad Swanson to get the Golden Bears right back into the contest. Julien Bailey-Cottle would grab the two-point conversion for WNE, as Western New England would trail by just eight points with just under four minutes to play. The Western New England defense would be tested in the final series of the contest, needing a stop from the Susquehanna offense, though the River Hawks would prove to be too much for WNE, grabbing a key first down to win the contest by a final score of 26-18.

Inside the Box:

• Western New England completed just eight passes on the day, two for touchdowns on 21 attempts. WNE recorded 91 yards through the air, though it gained 179 yards on the ground to help stay within reach.
• Conrad Swanson threw one touchdown pass, though he had three interceptions for WNE in the loss. Swanson ran seven times for 99 yards, with a 58-yard run being the longest of the game.
• Tommy Grabowski led all offensive players on the day with 25 rushes for 112 yards and two touchdowns for Susquehanna.
• Tyler Borwhat made four catches for 43 yards while scoring one touchdown.
• Brandon Myers would force the lone turnover on the night, while Jake Chiasson led all defensive players with 17 tackles, four solos, and 13 assisted tackles.
• Susquehanna collected four field goals on the day to pace them to victory. WNE's Andrew Havens connected on his first field goal attempt of the season, a 23-yarder.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE returns home after a BYE week, playing in their final non-conference game of the season at Golden Bear Stadium, hosting Anna Maria College.