Husson University kept its conference title hopes alive this afternoon with a 24-10 victory over Salve Regina University. (PHOTO COURTESY: Eric Ogden)
By NoontimeSports.com
The Endicott College football team may have been idle this afternoon, but somehow they inched closer to securing the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) crown with a 24-10 victory by Husson University against Salve Regina University.
With the win, Husson, Endicott, and Western New England head into the final weekend of the 2021 NCAA Division III college football season tied for the top spot in the CCC with identical 4-1 league marks, however, the Gulls hold head-to-head victories against the Eagles and Golden Bears, and will most likely be able to secure the league crown with a win at Nichols College.
Despite losing by two touchdowns, the Seahawks conclude their regular-season slate with eight wins and two losses — their eight wins match their win total from their 2015 and 2016 campaigns.
Nic Visser helped the Eagles pick up their seventh win by recording three touchdowns, including two through the air with his final strike landing in the hands of Cristian Walker with 2:36 remaining in the fourth quarter, which helped the Green and Gold secure an important conference win.
Visser finished the contest with 244 passing yards to go with four rushing yards and one score.
Husson led Salve Regina, 17-0, at the break, but the Seahawks reduced the deficit with a 54-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter from Jack Maguire to Max DeVito and a 20-yard field goal in the final session by Max Ward.
The Eagles will visit Western New England next Saturday – the Golden Bears overcame a three-point deficit (17-14) midway through the third quarter to defeat the University of New England by a score of 24-17. Ian Britt scored the go-ahead (and eventual game-winning) touchdown with 10:52 remaining while Andrew Havens tied the game at 17-17 on a 21-yard field goal with 3:45 remaining in the third quarter.
Curry College snapped a four-game losing streak with a 28-14 victory over Nichols College to secure their first conference win since beating Becker College by eight points (14-6) on November 2, 2019.
Chris Jenkins highlighted the Colonels’ third victory of the season with two rushing touchdowns with his initial score with 56 seconds remaining in the second quarter providing the hosts with the lead for good.
Salve Regina University’s Joey Mauriello will be one of many players to watch on the Commonwealth Coast Football (CCC) league this fall. PHOTO COURTESY: George Corrigan
By Matt Noonan
Our preseason New England college football coverage rolls on with some early-season thoughts on the Commonwealth Coast Football (CCC).
2019 Conference Refresh: The Golden Bears of Western New England capped their 2019 campaign with a 9-2 record — the Blue and Gold won seven conference tilts, including a 42-31 victory over Endicott in early November before finishing the regular season with back-to-back wins over Becker College and Husson.
Western New England advanced to the NCAA Division III postseason, but were edged in the opening round by Brockport by a score of 33-28 in the opening round. The Golden Eagles would conclude its “second season” one week later against MuhlenbergCollege.
Despite missing the national postseason, the Gulls did play one more game — Endicott competed in its second New England Bowl and defeat Dean College, which captured the ECFC. Quarterback Joe Kalosky highlighted his team’s final win by tossing four touchdowns, including two to Shea McManaway, who led the Gulls receiving core with six receptions for 120 yards.
Nichols and Husson secured a two-way tie for third place — the Bison scored six wins in 2019, matching their win total from 2016 when they competed in the New England Football Conference (NEFC).
Finally, UNE doubled its win total from 2018 with four victories while Curry ended its 2019 campaign winning one of its final three contests.
Early-Season Excitement from Salve Regina, Western New England: Like many New England teams, the Western New England football team is “excited” for its 2021 campaign — the Golden Bears will face some unique challenges in the opening weeks against Salisbury University and Springfield College.
That excitement to return to the field was echoed by Salve Regina coach Kevin Gilmartin, who recently joined us for a brand new Noontime Sports Podcast (listen to the show on Apple Podcasts, Anchor, and Spotify).
“This whole season we’ve got ten games of teams that every game where we can go 0-10 or we could go 10-0, which is exciting, scary, and could put a couple of more gray hairs up there,” said Gilmartin.
Indeed, there is a great deal of excitement from both teams, as well as throughout the league as it does seem as if the CCC could be a real interesting conference to watch and follow this fall — maybe we’ll see Nichols, Husson or UNE challenge Endicott and Western New England for the top spot?
And they are the following: Frank Curran (defensive line), Jake Cameron (offensive line), Tyler Halls (wide receiver), and Kaleb Caron (linebacker).
Halls will be one of many offensive players to watch on the Golden Eagles this fall — the Lisbon, Maine native recorded career-bests in 2019 in receptions (71), receiving yards (1,057), and touchdown receptions (10).
Curran ranked second on the defense behind Zach Connolly when it came to total tackles (60.0) while Caron finished third with 51.0 total stops. Both players tallied a team-high seven tackles for a loss.
Joey Mauriello’s final year with Salve Regina: The 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year will be one of many players to watch in the CCC — the Colts Neck, New Jersey native enjoyed a very impressive second season with the Seahawks, which saw him tally career-highs in rushing attempts (195), rushing yards (1,334), rushing yards per game (148.2), and rushing touchdowns (20).
I expected the senior tailback to be a focal part of the Seahawks’ offense this fall — fans of the Seahawks will have a chance to watch him and his teammates compete in the opening week on Friday, September 3 against Norwich University.
Early-Season Favorite(s): We’re still a few days and weeks away from the first week of the 2021 season, but my early-season favorite is Western New England based off their previous success.
However, I do think this might be the year that Paul McGonagle‘s Endicott Gulls capture the conference and make their first national postseason appearance since 2013. I have seen the Gulls a few times since McGonagle was named the head coach of the program ahead of the 2018 season and believe they have taken the steps to get closer to winning their first-ever CCC title.
A few others teams I expect to be in the mix: Husson, Nichols, and Salve Regina. I think all three squads will provide challenges for Endicott and Western New England this fall, and the same could be said for UNE.
Salve Regina University’s Ethan Robson netted a season-high five goals in last Saturday’s come-from-behind win over Roger Williams. (PHOTO COURTESY: George Corrigan/Salve Regina Athletics)
By Matt Noonan
It may sound hard to believe, but the New England NCAA D-III lacrosse regular season is slowly approaching the finish line – don’t worry, we still have a few more weeks of games before the conference tournaments commence, so there is still time to watch your favorite teams compete, both this week and later this month.
Before we embark on yet another busy week of games – and yes, practices, too! – let’s revisit the last week of New England lacrosse, which featured some exciting outcomes, including a come-from-behind win by the Salve Regina University men’s lacrosse team last Saturday against Roger Williams University.
Ethan Robson highlighted the win for the Seahawks, netting a season-high five goals off 11 shots while Brendan Kelly added four goals and Liam Cooney tallied three assists. Goalies Ryan Chambers and Connor Cunningham combined for 15 saves. Cunningham would conclude the contest with his initial win between the pipes.
The come-from-behind win was the Seahawks’ second-straight victory of the 2021 season – as of this morning, Salve Regina is one of two teams in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) with a 2-1 league mark. Endicott College, which defeated Salve Regina in its season-opener, has won five of six contests, including four-straight conference matchups. The Gulls currently occupy the top spot in the conference standings.
Endicott and Salve Regina are scheduled to compete again on Wednesday, April 14 at 4 p.m.
Staying in the CCC, Endicott remains the top team in the women’s standings with a 3-0 conference mark. The Gulls have won three straight after falling to Trinity College in their season-opener and are currently led by Maya Feigenbaum, who has produced 11 goals and three assists in four contests. Kiana Napolitano, who is in her second season with the Green and White, has recorded 11 points on eight goals and three assists.
Bryce Adam, who played high school lacrosse locally at Newton North High School, secured his first New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Player of the Week honor of the 2021 season yesterday after leading Tufts University to a 29-11 win last Saturday against Colby College. Adam tallied nine points on five goals and four assists against the Mules – the Jumbos’ 29 goal was a school record.
Two days after the impressive win over Colby, Tufts moved up one spot in the Nike/ US Lacrosse Division III Men’s Top 20 to the second position behind Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), which remains the top team for the second-straight week. Williams College checked in 15th overall while Bates College and Wesleyan University received consideration for this week’s poll.
The Tufts women’s lacrosse team also beat Colby this past weekend, thanks to Catherine Lawliss, who also earned this week’s NESCAC Player of the Week honor. Lawliss recorded sis points on five goals and one assist while scooping two ground balls in the Jumbos’ second-straight conference win. Tufts is the only team in the NESCAC with a perfect record (2-0) and they will attempt to secure a season-sweep of Connecticut College on Saturday, April 17.
The Babson College men’s lacrosse team commenced their season with a commanding 20-2 win over Wheaton College last Saturday. Ryan Donovan, who played high school lacrosse at Cohasset Hig School, led the Green and White with five points on four goals and one assist while Grey Sunderland and Jack Gregory combined for 20 face-off wins.
Babson will play two more times this month, including this weekend against Emerson College before closing the month of April by welcoming Springfield College to Babson Park. The Beavers and Coast Guard Academy are the only two teams in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) with perfect marks.
As for NEWMAC women’s lacrosse, Coast Guard and Springfield remain the only teams without a loss – both squads boast identical 2-0 records – while Babson sits one game back with a 2-1 record. Wheaton is currently in third place with a 2-2 mark.
Other news and notes from the New England D-III Lacrosse World:
Lasell University men’s lacrosse will attempt to win its third-straight contest tomorrow when they host Dean College. The Lasers are currently the top squad in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) and recently scored a one-point win over Norwich University last weekend.
The Framingham State women’s lacrosse team has enjoyed a successful start to its 2021 season, winning six-straight contests, including a dramatic 11-10 double-overtime win against Bridgewater State earlier this month. The Rams are currently the top team in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) with a 3-0 league record.
By NoontimeSports.com | @NoontimeNation & @WACBAHoopsÂ
With another season of college basketball in the Worcester area is in the books, it is time to unveil our All-Worcester Area College Basketball Association (WACBA)Â Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams.
Noontime Sports is excited to share our end of season All-WACBA Teams for the seventh consecutive season after being the host site for the organization’s weekly honor rolls, which have appeared every Tuesday throughout the Worcester basketball season.Â
Fans of Worcester college basketball are encouraged to follow @WACBAHoops on Twitter for scores, news and more.
By NoontimeSports.com | @NoontimeNation & @WACBAHoopsÂ
Another season of college basketball in the Worcester area is in the books, which means it is time to unveil our end of season Worcester Area College Basketball Association (WACBA) Women’s Basketball awards for our coach, player, and rookie of the year.
Noontime Sports is excited to share our end of season WACBA honors for the seventh consecutive season after being the host site for the organization’s weekly honor rolls, which have appeared every Tuesday throughout the college basketball season.Â
Fans of Worcester college basketball are encouraged to follow @WACBAHoops on Twitter for scores, news and more.
Lauren Manis is one of just three active Division I players to record 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. (PHOTO COURTESY: Mark Seliger)
Women’s Player of the Year: Lauren Manis (Holy Cross | Sr. | Franklin, Mass.): Manis averaged 18.6 points and 11.5 rebounds per game while shooting 46.3 percent from three-point range to posting 69 assists and 27 blocks. She led the Patriot League in scoring and three-point percentage, while also ranking fourth in Division I with 20 double-doubles and fifth in Division I with 344 total rebounds. Manis finished her impressive career with 2,020 career points and 1,188 career rebounds while becoming Holy Cross’ only player in history – men’s or women’s basketball – and one of just three active Division I players to record 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Additionally, she broke program and league records in career rebounding; her rebound total tied for second in single-season school history. She was named to the All-Patriot League first team, becoming one of just eight players in league history to be named to the first or second-team four times. Â
Becker College first-year Natasha Pacheco concluded her first season with the Hawks by averaging 11.7 rebounds per game with 8.3 points, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals. (PHOTO COURTESY: Brian Foley)
Women’s Rookie of the Year: Natasha Pacheco (Becker | Fr.| Fairfax, Va.): Pacheco’s rookie season with the Hawks was extraordinary, as she was voted New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Rookie of the Year. Pacheco averaged 11.7 rebounds per game with 8.3 points, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals for the Hawks and was named WACBA Rookie of the Week three times as well as NECC Rookie of the Week on three occasions. The first-year player was further voted All-NECC, and her rebounding numbers were the most by a rookie player in Becker history. Overall, Pacheco led the Hawks in rebounding, assists, field goal percentage and assist-to-turnover ratio. Pacheco is the third Hawk ever to be recognized as NECC Rookie of the Year, joining teammate Cassidy Harrison (after the 2016-2017 season) and former Becker great Tatiana Mojica (after the 2010-2011 season).
Coach Karen Tessmer guided the Worcester State women’s basketball team to its second-straight MASCAC Tournament Championship this winter. (PHOTO COURTESY: Worcester State Athletics)
Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year: Karen Tessmer (Worcester State): Despite graduating four elite-level seniors from one year ago, coach Karen Tessmer still managed to lead the Worcester State women’s basketball team to the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) tournament finals for the second straight season. The Lancers finished one win shy of matching three former teams that won 20 contests but did score two impressive postseason wins over Fitchburg State University and Westfield State.
Fans of Worcester college basketball are encouraged to follow @WACBAHoops on Twitter for scores, news and more.Â
By NoontimeSports.com | @NoontimeNation & @WACBAHoops 
