Vinny Lalumia Named NEFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Maywood, N.J. native went 2-for-2 on field goal attempts, averaged 44.3 yards on three punts
NEFC Release 

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 6, 2016) – Sophomore Vinny Lalumia (Maywood, N.J.) of the Western New England University football team has been named the New England Football Conference (NEFC) Special Teams Player of the Week following the Golden Bears' 26-10 victory at crosstown rival Springfield College on Friday night in the Pynchon SAW Game at Stagg Field.

Lalumia, who handles both kicking and punting duties for Western New England, went 2-for-2 on his field goal attempts punted three times with an average of 44.3 yards per kick. He nailed a 43-yard field goal with five seconds left in the first half to give the Golden Bears a 19-10 lead heading into the break, and also hit a 27-yarder in the opening quarter. Lalumia's best punt was a 60-yard boot late in the third quarter that was downed at Springfield's 14-yard line.

Also earning weekly honors from the NEFC was junior quarterback Anthony Service (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) and junior bear Kevin McLaughlin (Colorado Springs, Colo.), who landed on the Offensive and Defensive Weekly Honor Rolls, respectively.

Service accounted for all three of Western New England's touchdowns on Friday, completing 12-of-23 pass attempts for 144 yards and two scores to go with 90 yards (5.6 per carry) and one touchdown on the ground. 

McLaughlin led the dominant Golden Bear defense with a game-high 11 tackles, 1.5 of which resulted in a loss of five yards. Western New England limited the Pride to 189 yards of total offense and shut Springfield out in the second half.

The Golden Bears (1-0) return home to host local rival Westfield State in the President's Cup on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.