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Golden Bears football begins title defense with Pynchon SAW game Sept. 5

Date: 7/16/2015

SPRINGFIELD – The Western New England University football team will begin the 2015 season focused on defending two titles in their first two games.

In addition, Western New England will vie for its first New England Football Conference crown since 2011 after coming up just short by eight points combined in two conference losses in 2014. The program’s 35th NCAA Division III season – and 46th overall – includes 10 regular-season games, with five at home in Golden Bear Stadium, plus the NEFC circuit.

Western New England kicks off the season on Sept. 5 at home against city rival Springfield College in the second annual Pynchon SAW Game. The schools, separated by a mere 2 1/2 miles, have split the first two meetings on the gridiron, each winning on the other’s home field by just 13 points combined and overcoming second-half deficits.

In 2014, the Golden Bears scored 15 points in the final 5 minutes and 30 seconds to erase an 11-point deficit and defeat the Pride, 38-34, in stunning fashion. Springfield is known to occupy the clock with its triple-option offense. The Golden Bears, meanwhile, will be seeking to improve to 6-5 in season openers under Coach Keith Emery.

Then on Sept. 11, the Golden Bears will travel west 14 miles on the Mass Pike to play at Westfield State seeking to defend the Presidents Cup trophy.

Western New England – which reclaimed the trophy last season with a 17-14 win at home, winning four of the last five meetings – climbed to within 14-12 of the Owls’ lead in the all-time series. The Golden Bears are 5-5 versus Westfield under Coach Emery, who is the program’s winningest NCAA coach with a 57-44 (.564) career record.

On Sept. 19, Western New England will host non-conference foe Union College in the third consecutive meeting between the teams in the Golden Bears’ final tune-up before the NEFC schedule ramps up. The Golden Bears have defeated the Dutchmen of the Liberty League in each of their previous two meetings, 33-30 in double overtime at home in 2013 and 36-14 in Schenectady, NY, last fall.

Western New England begins conference play on the road in Milton on Sept. 25 when the Golden Bears take on a Curry College squad that eked out a 7-0 home win in two overtimes during a rain-soaked, chilly day in 2014. The last few games in this series have been decided by 11 points or less.

The Golden Bears return home to usher in the month of October as NEFC opponent Nichols College comes to Golden Bear Stadium on Oct. 3 during Homecoming weekend on the WNE campus. Western New England, which stampeded past the Bison 41-14 in the season finale last fall, is 9-1 versus Nichols during the Emery era.

After an idle week, Western New England hits the road for back-to-back Saturdays beginning on Oct. 17 at Maine Maritime in Castine. The Mariners have been one of the top rushing offensive teams in the nation for some time now, but the Golden Bears have a better defense and their offense can move the chains as well. In the past three meetings, WNE has been victorious 80-16, 59-0 and 66-41. Western New England is 9-5 lifetime over Maine Maritime.

After that, the Golden Bears will travel to take on Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge on the Oct. 24. Western New England is looking to snap a two-game slide – by a combined four points – versus the Engineers after winning the four previous meetings. The Golden Bears look forward to upending the defending NEFC champions who made the second round of the NCAA Division III Football Championship.

Western New England closes the month with an Oct. 31 home date versus Endicott College, which features new head coach Kevin DeWall. The Golden Bears handed the Gulls a thrilling 33-28 defeat last November as freshman Sam Olsson and senior Ryan Nolte tackled Nate Lewis on a 9-yard pass play at the WNE 1 as time expired.

November 2015 begins with a road date at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., on the Nov. 7. The teams have split their first two meetings, with the Bears winning a squeaker 41-38 at Coast Guard and the Golden Bears taking a 22-7 victory on their home turf last season. Coast Guard, typically a disciplined squad that doesn’t commit a lot of penalties, likes to spread the ball out on offense, mostly via the pass.

The regular season finale takes place at home as WNE will host Salve Regina University on Nov. 14 at Golden Bear Stadium. Western New England pinned a 34-31 victory over the visiting Seahawks last year. The Golden Bears have won four of the last six meetings over a team that historically ranks highly in the conference in tackles for loss, takeaways, total defense and scoring defense.

Western New England currently is on a six-game home winning streak, which includes a perfect 5-0 at Golden Bear Stadium in 2014.

League members will play a round-robin schedule format and the NEFC champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.