Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
NEW LONDON, Conn. -- James Wheeler IV scored from two yards out to give host Coast Guard Academy a 30-24 overtime victory over the University of New England in a mutual season-opening football game Saturday afternoon (Sept. 7) at Cadet Memorial Field.
Trailing 24-21 late in the fourth, UNE had drawn even on a 23-yard field goal by Jack Niland with 2:26 remaining. The Nor'easters had a chance to head home victorious in the closing seconds but were unable to convert a field goal attempt from 35 yards with 0:02 on the clock.
Damien Jones scored a pair of touchdowns for UNE, one on the ground and one receiving, to help lead the Nor'easters' offense. In his first collegiate appearance, sophomore quarterback Chris Lang was 24-for-45 with two touchdowns. AJ DeFilio, who hauled in a touchdown pass, caught seven passes for 97 yards.
For the victorious Bears, Wheeler IV logged 184 rushing yards and two scores. Joey Armentrout completed 28 of 46 passing attempts, two of which resulted in scores. Broock Desta posted game highs of 13 receptions and 173 receiving yards.
Wheeler IV gave Coast Guard an early lead, scampering 72 yards just 1:31 into the contest. The Nor'easters knotted the score at 7-7 with 0:04 remaining in the first when Lang found DeFilio for an 8-yard touchdown pass.
UNE would take a 14-7 cushion into intermission after the lone score of the second quarter. Jones capped a 15-play, 82-yard drive with a rushing touchdown from two yards out.
Brennan Holt cut the Bears' deficit to four (14-10) with a field goal at the 3:55 mark of the third quarter in what were the only points of the frame.
Each team's offense got cranked up in the fourth quarter, however, with Desta hauling in a 62-yard pass from Armetrout to give Coast Guard a 17-14 lead. UNE responded with a quick three-play strike that culminated in a Lang-to-Jones 19-yard scoring pass to put the Nor'easters back on top, 21-17.
Coast Guard followed with a long 16-play drive to jump back on top (24-21) when Armentrout and Desta hooked up again -- this time a 35-yard scoring play. That score set up Niland's game-tying field goal.
UNE's defense was paced by Chris Winslow, who led the way with seven solo tackles (8 total) and one sack. Maxwell Martin contributed seven tackles, while Spencer Sherck and Ashton Wonson added five apiece.
Jonathan Clifford and Hayden Anderson combined for 13 solo tackles for the Bears, who totaled five sacks on the afternoon.
UNE, which suffered its first season-opening loss since 2021, will look to get into the win column Friday night (Sept. 13) with a 7 p.m. road contest at WPI.