The Salve Regina University Seahawks (7-0, 5-0 NEFC) will take on Western New England University Golden Bears (8-0, 5-0 NEFC) in the New England Football Conference Championship at Gaudet Field in Middletown at 12 p.m. today.
The New England Football Conference is the only conference in all of Division III Football with two teams still undefeated and today’s game will serve as the NEFC Championship game even though both teams have one more game remaining on their regular season schedule. This is the second straight season these two teams will play for the NEFC Championship. Last season the Seahawks overcame a 21-0 halftime deficit before falling 28-21 to the Golden Bears in Springfield, Mass.
Tyler Bernadyn took some time to meet with the captains of the team and discussed their emotions and challenges heading into such a big contest, read all about it here – Tyler’s Two Cents: The Undefeated Team That No One is Talking About.
Today’s game marks the 24th meeting between the two teams. The Seahawks own a 15-8 record all-time over the Golden Bears however they Golden Bears have won the previous two meetings including last season’s NEFC Championship game. The last time the Golden Bears played in Middletown, R.I. the Seahawks won 47-26 in 2013. The Seahawks are 8-3 all-time at home versus the Golden Bears.
The Seahawks rank 8th in Rushing Offense (292.9 yards per game); 10th in Scoring (44.4 points per game); and 2nd in Rushing Defense (50.4 yards per game rushing allowed) in all of Division III Football.
Salve Regina has 17 seniors on the roster. Jared Barros, Sam Pascale, David Mavilia, Matt Escoto, Brandan Basil, Joey Farrar, Garrett Rupe, Juan Usuga, Cory Betz, Chris Caron, Ethan Gambale, Colin Burke, Sean Nagy, Noah Drake, Cullen Doyle, Kevin Johnston, and Greg Ditmar will all be joined on the field by their families for a special pre-game ceremony.
For more information on the game, visit – http://salveathletics.com/sports/fball/2016-17/releases/20161103mzggrg.
Watch
If you’re in or near Middletown today, catch the game live at Gaudet Field (directions). Tickets are $5 per person; children under 12 and senior citizens are free.
To watch the game online today, visit http://bit.ly/2cPWrJR.