SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 4, 2026) - After falling behind 14-0 after the opening quarter of Friday night's 13th-annual Pynchon SAW Game, the Western New England football team could never recover at any point in the game, trailing by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter and dropped the 2026 season opener to the Pride of Springfield College,, who took back the Pynchon SAW Trophy with a 42-28 victory over WNE. Springfield wins its fourth straight home game over WNE, who hasn't defeated the Pride since 2016 at Stagg Field. 

Records:

• Western New EnglandL 0-1
• Springfield College: 1-0

First Quarter

• Springfield struck first at the 12:07 mark when Bradley Barcello broke free for a 49-yard touchdown run, capping a six-play, 73-yard drive to give the Pride an early 7-0 lead.
• The Pride extended its advantage less than five minutes later when Drew Heenan connected with Caleb Hantho for a 65-yard touchdown, making it 14-0 with 7:14 remaining in the quarter.
• Western New England was unable to find the end zone in the opening 15 minutes, entering the second quarter trailing by two touchdowns. WNE had just one first down and 13 total yards in the opening 15 minutes of the game. 

Second Quarter

• The Golden Bears responded to open the second quarter with a quick three-play, 76-yard scoring drive, capped by Marcus Crawford's 29-yard touchdown run with 9:56 remaining in the half. Max LoGrasso's extra point cut the deficit to 14-7.
• Springfield answered with its longest scoring drive of the first half, marching 80 yards on 12 plays while taking 7:25 off the clock, seeing the Pride take a 21-7 lead. Springfield's Heenan finished the drive himself with a 28-yard touchdown run with 2:13 remaining, sending Springfield into halftime with a 21-7 advantage. 
• The Pride ran the ball all 23 times on offense in the second quarter, while WNE ran just six offensive plays in the frame. WNE held the ball for 2:19 of the quarter overall. 

Third Quarter

• Western New England opened the second half with its strongest drive of the night to that point, covering 75 yards on 12 plays over 4:51. Corey Kilroy capped the possession with a three-yard touchdown run at the 10:09 mark, bringing the Golden Bears within one score at 21-14.
• On the ensuing Springfield College offensive drive, the Golden Bears forced a fumble at the goal-line to keep the Pride from scoring and turning the ball back over to the offense. WNE went three-and-out on its next drive, to their demise..
• Springfield regained its two-touchdown advantage late in the quarter when Heenan found Owen Dawson for a 33-yard touchdown with 40 seconds remaining, making it 28-14 heading into the fourth.  SC ran 16 plays for 122 yards in the quarter, while WNE had the better of the offense, running 17 plays, but converted just 59 yards. 

Fourth Quarter

• Western New England was forced to punt again in the beginning of the fourth quarter, while Springfield College drove up the field and scored another touchdown in the game, their fifth of the game.
• Springfield struck quickly in the final quarter as Stanford Davis broke loose for a 62-yard touchdown run with 12:17 remaining, pushing the Pride's lead to 35-14. The Golden Bears continued to battle, answering with a six-play, 53-yard drive that ended with Kilroy connecting with Kevin Acosta for a five-yard touchdown at 9:12. WNE trailed 35-21 with under seven minutes to play in the game. 
• Springfield responded, putting the game away, with a 55-yard scoring drive, with Bode Dunn punching in a one-yard touchdown run with 5:40 remaining to make it 42-21.
• WNE answered once more, driving 74 yards in 2:44 before Matt LaMontagne scored on a one-yard touchdown run with 2:50 left. Westrn New England had one final offensive possession after forcing their first Springfield College punt of the night, but the clock would hit 0:00 before the Golden Bears could make up 14-points, falling by a final score of 42-28. 

Inside the Lines:

• Corey Kilroy led WNE's offense, going 8-for-18 at the QB position, throwing for 116 yards and one touchdown. Paul Gorry opened the game by completing four of five passes. 
• The run game saw Marcus Crawford rush six times for 57 yards, scoring a touchdown. Matt LaMontagne also crossed the end zone, running 11 times for 34 yards overall. 
• John De Camps caught a team-high four passes, accumulating 92-yards on the night.
• Anthony Sturniolo led the WNE defense with nine tackles, six solo and three assisted. Nick Kolifrath picked up four solo and four assisted tackles for the Blue and Gold. 
• Springfield College tossed just four passes, scoring two touchdowns on those passes. The Pride's heavy run game was in full effect, running 65 times for 449 yards on the night. Stanley Davis and Bradley Barcello each had over 100-yard rushing games for the Pride.  

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England will open its home schedule on Saturday, September 12 at 1:00 PM against Salve Regna University at Golden Bear Stadium.