SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 9, 2024) – The Western New England football was carried by graduate student running back Ryan Carlson, who collected 20 rushes for 139 yards while scoring one touchdown, while teammate and running back Matt LaMontagne would pick up 95 yards of rushing and a touchdown to help the Golden Bears secure a 24-6 victory over the Nor'easters of the University of New England. 

Records:

• Western New England: 5-4, 2-2 CNE
• University of New England: 3-6, 1-3 CNE

How it Happened:

Neither team would be able to find the endzone in the opening 15 minutes of the game, as both teams would collect quick offensive spurts to quickly move off the field. WNE's opening drive of the game would last six plays and 24 yards, though a punt would come about from John Moss, sending WNE off the field early. The Western New England defense stepped up in a big way in the opening quarter, not allowing the Nor'easters to move much up the field. Western New England would nearly come around with a score on their next play of the game as Brady Lafferty would rush up the middle on second and two, though a fumble by the WNE quarterback would set the Golden Bears back from scoring their first points of the game. The quarter would end with no score on the board as WNE would pick up 55 yards of receiving and 23 rushing yards overall.

The Nor'easters would open the second quarter with an offensive drive that lasted for just one minute and one second, as WNE forced their opponent off the field in three plays. Rogan Wotherspoon, Nick Kolifrath, and Maurice Henlon would record big plays on the drive. Western New England would come away with their first score of the game on a seven-play 51-yard drive as Matt LaMontagne would finish off the drive with a 14-yard score to give the Golden Bears the opening 7-0 lead. On the drive, Ryan Carlson would establish the run game for WNE, while Brady Lafferty would find Callaghan Caskam for a 17-yard catch to set up LaMontagne for the score. The next UNE drive would come away with just six yards as Western New England would pick up another three-and-out. With 3:59 remaining in the half, Western New England would be on the board again when John Moss connected on a 25-yard field goal, giving the home team a 10-0 lead. The nine-play, 75-yard drive would see Ryan Larson run for a 59-yard catch and run to set up the field goal from Moss. UNE came away with no first downs in the second quarter while the Golden Bears passed for 125 total yards.

The Nor'easters were off the field quickly on their first drive of the game, while the opening drive of the game for the Golden Bears would result in their second touchdown of the game. A 13-play, 87-yard drive for the Golden Bears would be capped off by a 37-yard drive from Ryan Carlson, who began to take over the contest. De'Andre Harris would grab 24-yards of receiving yards. Western New England would take a 17-0 lead. The Golden Bears would continue to hold the Nor'easters to no points as UNE picked up just one first down in the quarter and totaled just 28 yards of offense overall. WNE would take a 17-0 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Nor'easter's put up their biggest drive of the game to open the fourth quarter, seeing an 11-play, 61-yard drive go all for nothing as a fourth and seven play would come up without an incomplete pass as UNE would see their over five-minute drive come without points. Western New England scored on their next drive of
the game, a seven-play, 71-yard drive, capped off by an eight-yard touchdown pass from Lafferty to Daskam. On the drive, Pat Harrigan would haul in an 11-yard catch, while Ryan Carlson would run 31 yards up the field to set up the touchdown. Western New England would take a 24-0 lead with 7:31 to play in the quarter.
The following drive would see the Nor'easters of the University of New England pick up their first and only touchdown of the game when Chris Lang found Gavin Anderson in the endzone for the six points. Needing to go for two, UNE would go for the two-point conversions though would fall short, seeing the Golden Bears remain ahead 24-6. The final drive of the game for Western New England would result in four first downs, enough to run out the clock as the Golden Bears would burn the final 5:47 of the fourth quarter to come away with a 24-6 victory, their second conference win of the season.

Inside the Lines:

• The Golden Bears totaled 515 yards of offense in the game, led by graduate student running back Ryan Carlson, who carried the ball 20 times for 139 yards and a touchdown. Matt LaMontagne picked up 13 carries for 95 yards while also scoring a touchdown.
• Brady Lafferty picked up 19 completions for 279 total yards, tossing one touchdown pass. De'Andre Harris was a recipient of six of those touchdown passes for 92 yards.
• Callaghan Daskam picked up three catches for 33 yards, scoring WNE's lone touchdown pass through the air.
• Jason Shumilla led WNE defensively with seven total tackles, 0.5 tackles for lost yardage.
• Michael Canavatchel picked up three tackles, one tackle for loss, and two quarterback hurries.
• John Moss connected on his lone field goal attempt in the game, a 25-yarder.
• WNE is a perfect 6-0 all-time against the Nor'easters, allowing just 13 points to UNE over the last three games.

Coaches Corner:

• The Golden Bears celebrated senior day on Saturday afternoon. Head Coach Jason Lebeau commended his 2025 senior class. "Senior Day is always a special ceremony and this year was no different. This year is the largest senior class we have ever had. Considering they came in after/during the pandemic, these guys left the program better than they found it. The level of commitment they have to the program and each other is truly remarkable. The underclassmen have big shoes to fill but they have also been shown the way by a group of tremendous leaders."

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England will travel to Nichols College for the final game of the regular season on Saturday, November 16 at 12:00 PM