Springfield Rallies Past No. 24 Western New England, 35-21, in Fifth Annual Pynchon SAW Game

Golden Bears outscored 35-7 in the second half

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (September 2, 2017) – The Springfield College football team outscored No. 24 Western New England University 35-7 in the second half to earn a 35-21 victory in the fifth annual Pynchon SAW rivalry game on Saturday afternoon at Golden Bear Stadium.  

Top Performers
• Western New England senior quarterback Anthony Service (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) completed 12-of-20 pass attempts for 235 yards and three touchdowns, while also gaining 49 yards on the ground on ten carries (4.9 avg.).
• Senior wide receiver Mark Dietrich (Cheshire, Conn.) was Service's top target, recording five receptions for 93 yards.
• Defensively, junior linebacker Mike Chirco (Weedsport, N.Y.) led the Golden Bears with a game-high 14 tackles, while senior safety Sam Olsson (Milford, Conn.) finished with 12 tackles and one pass breakup.

• Senior fullback Jordan Wilcox (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) fueled Springfield's rushing attack, carrying the ball 30 times for 148 yards.
• Senior quarterback Jake Eglintine (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) ran for 121 yards and three touchdowns, while sophomore Hunter Belzo (Middletown, Conn.) added 99 yards on the ground.  
• Junior defensive end Nick Giorgio (Cumberland, R.I.) posted six tackles to lead the Springfield defense, including 1.5 sacks.

Game Review
• Springfield drove all the way to Western New England's four-yard line on the Pride's first possession of the contest, but a pair of penalties pushed the visitors back to the 24-yard line and junior Christian Humulock (Narragansett, R.I.) missed a 32-yard field goal to keep the game scoreless.
• Western New England's ensuing possession resulted in seven points, as Service connected with senior wing Justin Townsend (Stratford, Conn.) out of the backfield and Townsend raced 64 yards down the sideline for his second career touchdown.  
• The Golden Bears got the ball back late in the first quarter and put together a six-play, 79-yard drive that culminated in Service lofting a pass to a wide open Laron Gunderway (Brockton, Mass.) in the middle of the field for a 22-yard touchdown.
• Springfield, which trailed 14-0 at halftime, got on the board early in the third quarter when Eglintine capped a 12-play, 72-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown run.
• The Pride defense quickly forced a three-and-out on Western New England's ensuing possession, and two plays into Springfield's drive, Belzo took an option pitch 49 yards down the right sideline to tie the score at 14-14.
• Western New England answered at the 6:41 mark of the third quarter, however, as junior Jared Wolfe (Seaford, N.Y.) made a spectacular one-handed catch for a 28-yard touchdown on a play that was nearly identical to Gunderway's score in the second quarter.
• Springfield pulled even for the second time on a one-yard plunge by Eglintine with 4:25 remaining in the third, before taking its first lead with 1:28 on the clock when the senior quarterback broke free up the middle for a 79-yard touchdown run.
• After Western New England's next drive resulted in a punt, Springfield got the ball back and put together an 18-play, 75-yard possession that lasted over nine minutes. The Pride drove all the way to the Western New England one-yard line, but Eglintine was stuffed by senior Sam Edouard (Roosevelt, N.Y.) and junior Ryan Smith (Weston, Vt.) on fourth down as the Golden Bears regained possession.
• On the first play of Western New England's drive, however, Springfield senior linebacker Christian Zotti (Newington, Conn.) forced a fumble and recovered it in the end zone to give the Pride a 35-21 cushion with 4:14 to play.
• Junior defensive back Marlowe Scott (Dorchester, Mass.) intercepted Service with just under three minutes remaining, and Springfield was able to run out the remainder of the clock to secure the win.

Notes
• Springfield outgained Western New England 531-305 and racked up 435 yards on the ground.
• The Pride's win marks their first in the series since the inaugural contest in 2013, a 49-40 Springfield triumph.
• With 28 career passing touchdowns, Service needs just one to match John Krafick for third in program history.

Up Next
Western New England (0-1) will look to bounce back next Friday night, when the Golden Bears travel to Westfield State with the Presidents' Cup on the line. Springfield (1-0) hosts Kean next Saturday.