Football Falls to Western Connecticut, 49-7

By Jim Fenton

DANBURY, Conn. -- The Bridgewater State University football team had a rough start to the second half of the season.

The Bears allowed seven touchdowns in the first half and were handed a 49-7 loss by Western Connecticut State University on Saturday night at Westside Stadium. The 42-point setback marked the largest margin of defeat for a Bridgewater state football team since a 64-21 loss to Springfield College in 1998.

The Wolves scored on all seven possessions in the opening half to build a 49-0 lead by intermission with a Homecoming crown on hand. BSU's lone score came on the first drive of the second half.

The Bears had a two-game winning streak halted and are 2-4, including 2-3 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference.

Western Connecticut State is 5-1 and is tied for the top spot in the MASCAC with UMass Dartmouth at 5-0.

Senior quarterback John Giller (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) was 16-for-21 for 229 yards and four touchdowns while rushing five times for 53 yards and another score.

Sophomore Dae'Shawn Allen (White Plains, N.Y.) caught 13 passes for 151 yards and three TDs for the Wolves.

BSU's lone score came on a 1-yard run by senior running back Trevor Nunes (Falmouth, Mass.).

Western Connecticut State, which is on a five-game winning streak, gained 509 yards, including 312 through the air and 197 on the ground.

The Bears had 310 yards with 208 in the air and 102 on the ground.

Freshman quarterback Jaden Moseley (North Providence, R.I.) started and was 10-for-21 for 127 yards. Senior SP Pragano (Northford, Conn.) played the second half and was 6-for 14 for 81 yards.

Sophomore tight end Colton Johnson (Mansfield, Mass.) had four catches for 65 yards for the Bears and freshman Josh Registre (Waltham, Mass.) made three catches for 31 yards.

Western Connecticut State took the game's opening kickoff and went 75 yards in eight plays for a 7-0 lead with 10:35 remaining in the first quarter.

Giller threw a 13-yard TD pass to Allen and senior Anthony Weidtman (Nesconset, N.Y.) added the first of seven extra points.

Following a BSU punt on its first possession, the Wolves drove 85 yards in 10 plays with Allen catching a 23-yard TD pass from Giller to make it 14-0 with 4:34 left in the quarter.

Giller had six completions in the drive, including four straight.

BSU fumbled on the ensuing kickoff and senior linebacker Alexis Reyes (Stratford, Conn.) recovered at the Bears' 13.

Giller scored three plays later on a 2-yard run for a 21-0 lead with 3:37 left in the quarter.

BSU drove to the Western Connecticut State 20, but a personal foul penalty and 13-yard sack ended that threat.

The Wolves then went 57 yards in five plays with Allen catching a 35-yard TD pass from Giller, making it 28-0 with 9:25 remaining in the half.

Western Connecticut State went 60 yards in just four plays the next time it touched the ball. Graduate student Kevin Francechini (Bronx, N.Y.) scored on a 4-yard run to push the lead to 35-0 with 5:48 left in the half.

The Bears moved the ball downfield on the ensuing drive, and had a first and ten at the WCSU 35 following a ten yard pass from Moseley to sophomore tght end Ethan Brown (Assonet, Mass.).

Senior Deshaun Hardy-Walker (Newark, N.J.), however, intercepted a BSU pass at the goal line and returned the ball 70 yards to the BSU 30. On second down, junior Zach Soriano (Middle Island, N.Y.) caught a 24-yard TD pass for a 42-0 lead with two minutes before the break.

BSU punted in the closing seconds,' but sophomore Serge Lagardere (Stamford, Conn.) returned it 69 yards to the Bears 15, and a penalty moved it to the 8-yard line.

Senior quarterback Keion Jones (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) came off the bench and threw a 7-yard TD pass to classmate Julian Ferguson (Enfield, Conn.) on the final play of the half for the 49-0 lead.

BSU's lone scoring drive covered 79 yards on 10 plays to open the second half.

Pragano threw a 33-yard pass to senior Matthew Rinta (West Wareham, Mass.) for the longest gain on the drive and senior Isaiah Wright (Worcester, Mass.) added a 23-yard run to set up Nunes' TD run.

BSU senior Zach Souza (Tyngsboro, Mass.) had eight tackles, with one for loss, and recorded his first interception of the season.

The West Conn defense notched five tackles for loss, including a sack by junior defensive end Jahsir Gayle (Inwood, N.Y.), and broke up seven passes with junior defensive back Michael DeFelice (New Windsor, N.Y.) leading the way with three pass breakups.

The Bears are on the road again Saturday, facing MASCAC co-leader UMass Dartmouth at Cressy Field at 5:30 p.m.

Western Connecticut State goes for its sixth win in a row Saturday, hosting Worcester State at 4 p.m.

BSU holds a 15-12 lead in the series with the Wolves, which began in 1971.