Worcester, Mass. – September 30, 2023 – The Springfield College football team scored 35 unanswered points en route to a 42-10 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) victory over WPI this afternoon at Alumni Stadium.
The win improved Springfield's record to 4-1 overall and to 2-0 in NEWMAC play, while WPI fell to 3-2, 1-1 this year.
Springfield's ground game carried the bulk of the action, as the Pride gained 381 yards to WPI's 79. Springfield gained 300+ yards on the ground for the fourth time in five games this fall and were led by graduate student Joseph Cannizzaro (Lincoln Park, N.J.), who tallied 129 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the victory. Senior Arsen Shtefan (West Hartford, Conn.), who posted 95 rushing yards, junior Jacob Silvester (Lancaster, Mass.), who tallied 88 rushing yards and junior Dante Vasquez (Rockland, Mass.), who notched 18 yards on the ground, all found the back of the end zone today as well.
While on defense, graduate student Quinn Sweeney (Hanson, Mass.) registered nine tackles and a quarterback hurry, while junior Will McKay (Tewksbury, Mass.) posted five tackles, two and half sacks as well as two and half tackles for a loss. Sophomore Tyler Paladino (Cross River, N.Y.) notched a pair of fumble recoveries and a pass breakup, while senior Joe Maurer (Wilbraham, Mass.) had three tackles and forced a fumble for the Pride.
Springfield produced 23 first downs today, 22 of which came on the ground, and ran 61 total plays for an average of 6.1 yards per play. The Pride went 4-for-10 on third down, 1-for-2 on fourth down and held the ball for nearly 38 minutes this afternoon.
On the opening drive of the game, Springfield needed just three plays to get its first score of the game. After an 18-yard kick-off return was fumbled, Paladino recovered on the WPI 32. That set up Shtefan who carried the ball three times until his final attempt, a 19-yard effort broke through for the touchdown.
After the teams traded punts in the first, WPI got on the board. Four complete passes took the Engineers down to the Springfield 12, before Brock Dubey nailed a 30-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3.
In the second quarter, both teams punted before Springfield scored on its next two possessions to push the lead to 21-3 heading into the halftime break. A seven-play, 39-yard drive culminated in a Cannizzaro score from six yards out for the first touchdown, and after a WPI punt, Silvester scored on a 30-yard carry to cap a six-play, 51-yard drive.
Two more scores from the Pride in the third quarter made it a 35-3 game. Springfield punted on the opening possession, but on WPI's drive, senior Billy Carr (Southington, Conn.) recovered a fumble and took it 21 yards to pay dirt for a touchdown. The Engineers turned it over on downs on their next drive setting up another Springfield score. An eight-yard Cannizzaro touchdown made it a 32-point advantage for the visitors, where it would stay after three quarters.
Springfield pushed the lead to 42-3 early in the fourth quarter, as Vasquez scored from five yards out midway through the frame. On the ensuing drive, WPI notched its first touchdown of the game, as Hair found the end zone for a one-yard score, making it 42-10, where it finished.
Next week, Springfield College will travel to MIT for another NEWMAC matchup. Kickoff is slated for 12:00 pm at Steinbrenner Stadium.