Western New England University’s football team overcame an early deficit to defeat Salve Regina University 45-27 in a high-scoring affair Saturday at Springfield, Mass.
The Golden Bears (1-1) trailed 13-0 in the first quarter before mounting a comeback fueled by a potent rushing attack and opportunistic defense that forced four interceptions.
Salve Regina sophomore quarterback Padraig Brown accounted for all four Seahawks touchdowns, throwing for three and rushing for one. However, his four interceptions proved costly as Western New England seized momentum in the second half.
The Seahawks (1-1) jumped out to an early lead on Brown’s 60-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Smith just 7:39 into the game. Brown connected with Kyle Crampton for a 29-yard score later in the first quarter to put Salve Regina up 13-0.
Western New England’s offense sputtered early but found its footing in the second quarter. The Golden Bears got on the board with a safety before quarterback Brady Lafferty hit Callaghan Daskam for a 10-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 13-9 at halftime.
Brown’s 2-yard touchdown run extended Salve Regina’s lead to 20-9 early in the third quarter. But that’s when Western New England took control.
Ryan Carlson broke free for a 29-yard touchdown run to bring the Golden Bears within five. On Salve Regina’s next possession, Jason Shumilla intercepted Brown and returned it 42 yards for the go-ahead score.
Western New England never looked back, outscoring Salve Regina 24-7 in the fourth quarter to pull away. Matt LaMontagne’s 58-yard touchdown run and Jason Black’s 11-yard score highlighted the Golden Bears’ ground game that wore down the Seahawks defense.
Lafferty put an exclamation point on the victory with an 85-yard touchdown pass to De’Andre Harris late in the fourth quarter.
The 45 points scored by Western New England are the most in the history of this rivalry series. It’s also the most points Salve Regina has allowed since giving up 48 to MIT a decade ago.
Despite the loss, Salve Regina still leads the all-time series 16-14. However, Western New England has now won eight of the last nine meetings between the schools.
Brown finished 18 of 31 passing for 287 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions for Salve Regina. Smith was his top target with five catches for 112 yards and a score.
For Western New England, Lafferty completed 14 of 22 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. The Golden Bears racked up 287 rushing yards, led by LaMontagne’s 112 yards on 11 carries.
The loss drops Salve Regina to 1-1 on the season as they prepare for a road trip to face the University of Rochester on Sept. 21. Western New England evens its record at 1-1 heading into conference play.
