Box Score WESTFIELD, Mass.--The Western New England University football team scored on three of its first four possessions, and junior Obi Etuka set a school record with four interceptions, as the Golden Bears retained the Presidents' Cup rivalry trophy over host Westfield State with a convincing 31-0 victory at Alumni Field on Friday evening.
Western New England moves to 2-0 on the season after recording the second largest shutout win in the series (WNE 34-0 in 1982) and the first shutout since the teams traded 7-0 wins in 1989 and '90. The Owls (1-1) still lead 14-13 all-time.
The Golden Bears struck quickly as sophomore Justin Townsend's eight-yard touchdown run off right tackle capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive in 3 minutes and 47 seconds after the opening kickoff. The drive was set up by a 33-yard diving catch by sophomore Mark Dietrich from senior Kevin Peabody to the WSU 39 on 2nd and 17.
After Western New England turned the ball over on its next possession, the Golden Bears' defense got the ball right back for the offense. Senior captain Dean Soucie tipped Westfield State quarterback Erik Washburn's pass at the WNE 25, and Etuka intercepted the ball at the 18 to return to the 29. Junior Nick Connell's 1-yard plunge punctuated an 11-play, 71-yard drive in 4:10. The visitors led 14-0 after the first quarter.
On the Owls' ensuing possession, Etuka produced another interception at the home 45-yard line and returned it 15 yards to the 30. Sophomore Dante Aiken ended the Golden Bears' shortest scoring drive of the night with a 14-yard TD run to make it 21-0 at 14:20 left in the second quarter.
Western New England ran the ball 64 times for 310 yards and operated a total of 85 offensive plays. Connell paced the WNE offense with 87 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown. Aiken rushed for 69 yards on 12 attempts.
Western New England closed the first half with a 35-yard field goal by junior Kevin Patterson, culminating an 11-play, 67-yard drive in 2:35.
Etuka broke the school record with four interceptions, which is one short of both the NCAA Division III and New England record for a single game. Before tonight, three Golden Bears had three picks in a game, most recently by Alex Miller against these same WSU Owls in 2012. Etuka now has 14 picks in his career, which is two shy of Jay Rooney's all-time program mark of 16, set from 2003-06.
The Golden Bears allowed the Owls just 182 total yards and nine first downs. Etuka also had five tackles and two pass breakups. Soucie finished with six tackles, a forced fumble and pass breakup, while sophomore Kevin McLaughlin posted a team-best seven stops. Senior Connor Devarney recorded four solo tackles among six total, including an eight-yard sack.
Westfield State was led by senior wide receiver Colin Smith who caught the ball seven times for 64 yards. Bryan Waruhiu ran the ball 13 times for 60 yards. Washburn completed 15 of 34 passes for 126 yards but threw six interceptions.
Sophomore linebacker John Ollari had 13 tackles for the Owls and forced a fumble and recovered another.
Senior Andy St. Fleur closed the scoring for WNE late in the fourth when he hauled in a 34-yard pass from classmate Kevin Peabody over the middle.
Western New England returns to Golden Bear Stadium a week from Saturday when it hosts Union-N.Y. for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Owls will host MASCAC foe UMass Dartmouth on that same day, the 19th, and time as part of WSU Parents' Weekend.
Golden Bears Retain Presidents' Cup over Westfield State Behind Etuka's Four Interceptions
/seasons/2015/boxscores/20150911_g1yz.xml
2015
Western New England
31
Westfield State
0
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western New England (2-0) | 14 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
| Westfield State (1-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sep 11, 2015