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Western New England University

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FB 9.19.26
42
Winner Western New Eng. WESTERN 1-2 , 0-0
40
Worcester St. WORCESTE 1-2 , 1-0
Winner
Western New Eng. WESTERN
1-2 , 0-0
42
Final
40
Worcester St. WORCESTE
1-2 , 1-0
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
WESTERN Western New Eng. 7 14 7 14 42
WORCESTE Worcester St. 0 17 10 13 40

Game Recap: Football |

Kilroy’s Hail Mary Touchdown Pass To Acosta At The Buzzer Gives Football First Victory, 42-40

WORCESTER, Mass. (September 19, 2026) – Backed by late-game heroics from Corey Kilroy and Kevin Acosta, the Western New England football team came away with a stunning 42-40 victory on Saturday afternoon at Worcester State University, seeing a 58-yard Hail Mary touchdown win WNE its first game of the season. 

Records:
  • Western New England: 1-2
  • Worcester State University: 1-2
How it Happened:

First Quarter:
  • Western New England opened the scoring on its second possession of the afternoon, putting together a seven-play, 37-yard drive that ended with Matthew McGuire finding the end zone from five yards out at the 10:03 mark, putting points on the scoreboard for the Blue and Gold. Max LoGrasso added the extra point to put WNE ahead, 7-0.
  • The Golden Bear defense came up with a big play on Worcester State's next possession when Nick Kolifrath intercepted Worcester State's quarterback MJ Bakaysa to keep the Golden Bears ahead by seven late in the quarter. 
  • After Worcester State's offense was stopped on a three-play possession, WNE mounted a seven-play, 36-yard drive that carried into the second quarter, setting up the Golden Bears for another scoring opportunity.
Second Quarter:
  • WNE extended its advantage early in the second quarter when Matt LaMontagne capped a seven-play, 36-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown run, giving the Golden Bears a 14-0 lead just six seconds in the second quarter.
  • Worcester State quickly answered, using a 76-yard touchdown pass from Bakaysa to Joey Christian, putting the Lancers on the scoreboard for the first time in the game, seeing Western New England's lead get slashed in half, 14-7. 
  • On the ensuing kickoff, the Lancers recovered a fumble at their own 25-yard line to get excellent field position and force the WNE defense back on the field. Worcester needed just one play to even the score after Bakaysa found Gavin Hatfield for a 25-yard touchdown, evening the score at 14. 
  • The Lancers took their first lead of the afternoon on a Sebastian Rios 35-yard field goal with 4:40 remaining in the second quarter to cap off a 12-play, 47-yard drive, quickly seeing the Lancers overcome the 14-point deficit and turn it into a lead.
  •  Western New England received excellent field position with 3:23 to play before half, needing just 19 yards after the Lancers failed to convert a fourth down. The ensuing WNE offensive drive saw Corey Kilroy rush from three yards out to give the Golden Bears a 21-17 lead, a lead they took into halftime. 
Third Quarter:
  • The Golden Bears could not convert on their opening drive of the quarter, and their punt on fourth down by Rhys Suprenant was blocked, giving the Lancers good field position for their first possession of the game. WSU picked up a 27-yard field goal from Rios on the possession, cutting the Golden Bear lead to 21-20.
  • The Lancers took the lead on their next scoring drive, covering 79 yards in six plays before Bakaysa connected with Jack Poirier for a nine-yard touchdown to make it 27-21 with 7:19 remaining in the quarter, giving the Lancers their second lead of the afternoon.
  • WNE responded in a big way, seeing the defense come up with a blocked field goal attempt as Jackson Caramanica got to the Lancer kicker before the attempt, giving the ball back to the WNE offense.
  • Corey Kilroy scored his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon from three yards out to cap a four-play, 75-yard drive and put the Golden Bears back in front, 28-27, with 1:24 left in the quarter. Jova'n Hill's 44-yard catch on the drive helped pace Western New England, who led 28-27 at the end of the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
  • In a back-and-forth affair, the Lancers regained the lead early in the final quarter when Lance Williams scored on a six-yard touchdown run, capping an 11-play, 77-yard drive that took more than six minutes off the clock. The Lancers led 33-28 after an unsuccessful two-point attempt.
  • The Golden Bears answered with a 10-play, 78-yard drive that lasted 4:23, with Matthew McGuire scoring his second touchdown of the afternoon on a one-yard run. Drew Caouette connected with James Burg on the two-point conversion to put the Golden Bears back ahead, 36-33, with 5:38 remaining in the quarter.
  • Worcester State seemed to have a response with every offensive drive of the afternoon, doing so again late in the fourth quarter with a 12-play, 71-yard drive, taking 4:50 off the clock before WSU's Jack Poirier hauled in a 12-yard touchdown pass from Bakaysa with 41 seconds remaining. The Lancers took a 40-36 lead, leaving WNE with one final possession.
  • With things looking bleak for WNE, a third-and-18 from their own 17-yard line led to a 16-yard pass from Drew Caouette to Christian Delgado, as the Blue and Gold needed two yards on fourth down. Caouette rushed for nine yards on the ensuing play to keep the game alive for the Golden Bears. With time running out, the Golden Bears, 58 yards away from the end zone, called upon Corey Kilroy to launch a Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game. Kilroy's pass floated through the air and into the hands of Kevin Acosta at the two-yard line. Acosta dove forward and crossed the end zone with no time remaining on the clock, as Western New England stormed the field, claiming a 42-40 victory. 
Inside the Lines:
  • Kevin Acosta's game-winning reception was the only catch of the afternoon for the senior, but it covered 58 yards and gave WNE the victory in the game, the first win of the season. 
  • Corey Kilroy completed his only pass attempt of the game for 58 yards and a touchdown while adding a pair of rushing touchdowns on three carries.
  • Matt LaMontagne powered the WNE rushing attack with 123 yards on 16 carries, crossing the end zone once. Matthew McGuire added 45 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries.
  • WNE totaled 351 yards of offense, including 183 rushing yards, while Worcester State finished with 419 total yards behind 336 passing yards from Bakaysa.
  • Nick Kolifrath led the Golden Bear defense with nine tackles and an interception, while Anthony Sturniolo added eight tackles. Austin Pszczolkowski recorded five tackles and a tackle for loss, and Colvin Levesque added three pass breakups to lead WNE. 
  • The Golden Bears converted all three of their fourth-down attempts and finished 5-for-5 in the red zone.
  • Western New England remains perfect all-time against Worcester State (3-0), following Saturday's dramatic victory. 
Up Next on the Schedule:
  • The Golden Bears return home next Saturday, September 26, when they open Conference of New England play against the University of New England at Golden Bear Stadium at 1:00 PM.
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