SPRINGFIELD, Mass. –  A battle atop of the top of the standings in the Conference of New England comes together in Springfield as Western New England University plays host to 13^th-ranked Endicott College on Saturday afternoon on the gridiron from Golden Bear Stadium. The game is the CNE's first ever supported broadcast on the Northeast Sports Network, signaling the conference's first "Game of the Week". 

Last Time Out:
Western New England put up their third 40+ point outing of the season in their last game, a Conference of New England game, against Curry College. Western New England took down the Colonels 47-21, scoring six touchdowns on offense to lead the way. The Golden Bears were successful in both the pass and run games, creating 508 yards of total offense in the victory. Through the air, WNE tossed for 329 total yards and five touchdowns, averaging 17.3 yards per completion. On the ground, Western New England averaged 4.3 yards per carry on 42 attempts, gaining 186 total yards. The Golden Bears were forced to punt just twice in the game while the Western New England defense pulled through on one interception, six total breakup passes, and six total tackles for loss in the win. The 47 points produced by the Golden Bears are a season high while holding the Colonels to just seven second-half points.

D3football.com's 11^th-ranked Endicott College Gulls come into the game having also won their first conference game of the season, defeating the University of New England 39-7. The Endicott run led the way with 295 total net yards while the pass game produced just 92 total yards, though the Gulls came around with 387 total yards of offense in the game. The Endicott special teams would come into play heavily in the win over UNE, seeing two field goals strip through the uprights while an 87-yard kickoff return would spark another Gulls touchdown in the win. Defensively, Endicott would pick up four sacks in the game while totaling ten tackles for loss over their 79 total tackles. The Gulls scooped one fumble on defense while breaking up three UNE passes in their 32-point win. Endicott comes into Saturday afternoon's contest with a 5-1 record, with their lone loss of the year coming on the road at 7^th-ranked Hardin Simmons.

Western New England's Offense:
Quarterback Brady Lafferty had the hot hand for the Golden Bears in their win over Curry College, throwing 17 completions on 25 attempts while picking up 290 yards of total offense through the air. Four of Lafferty's 17 completions came as touchdowns. On the receiving end, Western New England had five different receivers grab a touchdown pass. De'Andre Harris led the way for the blue and gold, totaling seven catches for 135 yards and a touchdown grab. Cam LaPierre grabbed his third TD pass in a two-week span in the win while totaling four catches for 48 yards and the score. Callaghan Daskam, Pat Harrigan, and Greg Perry were also receivers of touchdowns for the Golden Bears in the win. The Western New England ground game was led by graduate student Ryan Carlson, who continues to pile up big numbers this season, totaling 20 carries for 108 yards in the win this past week. Carlson averaged 5.4 yards per carry. Matt LaMontagne ran home a Golden Bears touchdown in the win over the Colonels, running 11 times for 47 total yards, averaging 4.3 yards per rush. As a team, the Golden Bears ran for 179 yards in the game, averaging 4.3 yards per carry.

Endicott's Offense:
The Gulls had less success than their season average through the air in the win over the University of New England. EC's starting quarterback Clayton Marengi tossed 11 completions on 25 total attempts, throwing for 92 total yards and two touchdowns. The 11 completions for the graduate student are the second lowest on the season; however, the 44% pass completion rate is the lowest of the season. Endicott was much more successful on the ground last Saturday afternoon, seeing Michael Vecchione rush six times for 98 yards, averaging over 16 yards per carry. Marengi used the legs nine times for 94 yards for the Gulls in the win. Both Bryan Metayer and Kennedy Charles ran home touchdowns for Endicott in the win. Adam Goodfellow caught four of Marengi's 11 completions while hauling in both touchdown passes, picking up 41 total yards in the win. Shane Aylward notched two catches for 22 yards for the Gulls.

Western New England's Defense:
The Golden Bears saw Garrett Swayhoover have a career Saturday in the win over Curry College, coming away with a career high three solo tackles, four assisted tackles, and seven total tackles in the game. Swayhoover also notched 0.5 tackle for loss in the game. Nick Kolifrath matches Swayhoover's tackles in the game, coming away with four solos and three assists. Kolifrath forced one fumble in the game as well. Thomas Gasbarro and Joe McNamara collected 1.5 tackles for loss each in the win. Gasbarro put together four solo tackles and two assisted tackles, good for six tackles in the game. WNE leading tackler Jason Shumilla picked up six total tackles in the game and now has 38 tackles this season, three of which came for loss. The WNE defense has held their opponent to zero points in at least one quarter in all six of their games so far this season, leading to a 4-2 record overall.

Endicott's Defense:
Endicott's defense is filled with heavy hitters, including Matthew Licciardi, who recorded four solo tackles and ten assisted tackles in the win over the University of New England. Licciardi recorded 0.5 sacks in the win. Joe Tirrell had seven total tackles for Endicott over UNE, 2.5 of which came for lost yardage. Colin Meropoulos became Endicott's all-time sack leader in last week's win, collecting two total sacks for 27 yards lost while picking up 2.5 total tackles for loss. The Gulls have picked up 437 total tackles this season, averaging just under 73 tackles per game. Endicott has delivered 14 sacks this season while putting up 50.5 tackles for loss. EC also has five interceptions, four forced fumbles, and seven fumble recoveries on the year.

Western New England Special Teams:
The Golden Bears were forced to punt just twice in the win over Curry last Saturday afternoon, seeing John Moss average 31.5 yards per boot, knocking one inside the 20-yard line. Western New England was successful on both their field goal attempts, seeing Chris Digiacomo nail a 24-yard attempt as well as a 29-yard attempt. WNE is now 4/4 on-field goal attempts this season. The Golden Bears were 5/6 in point after attempts. Ryan Larson returned the ball once on a kickoff for 41 yards, WNE's longest in the game.

Endicott's Special Teams:
The Gulls were successful in two field goal attempts last week, hitting from 35 and 41 yards out. Mike Bartley registered his first two field goal makes of the season while going 3/5 on extra point attempts. Endicott's Kennedy Charles returned an 87-yard kickoff for a touchdown on special teams. The Gulls punted four times against UNE, as Ryan Smith averaged 34.5 yards per kick, putting one kick inside the 20-yard line.

The Game:
The Golden Bears and Gulls will battle in CNE action on Saturday, October 26 at 1:00 PM from Golden Bear Stadium. The game will be specially aired on the Northeast Sports Network this week. Endicott has taken the last three matchups between the teams while leading the all-time series 10-9.

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE OF NEW ENGLAND
Originally founded in 1984 as the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), and reconstituted as the Conference of New England (CNE) in 2024, the CNE is an NCAA Division III athletic conference composed of 10 full member and five associate member institutions throughout the New England region. Its membership aims to provide student-athletes with a positive experience in their pursuit of excellence through high academic standards, quality competition and a meaningful student life. The Conference administers championships in 20 intercollegiate sports.