Cortland, N.Y. - November 20, 2021 - The Springfield College football team was edged by Cortland, 26-21, in the NCAA Division III Championship First Round on Saturday at the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex. 

Cortland, who was ranked No. 13 in the latest D3football.com, improved to 11-0 on the season, while Springfield, which was playing in its eighth road game of the season, completed the 2021 season with a 7-4 mark. 

 Patrick Ladas (Berlin, Conn.) found the end zone three times on the day as he rushed for 88 yards on 28 carries, while Ryan Deguire (Schenectady, N.Y.) and Isaiah Cashwell-Doe (Woburn, Mass.) combined for 85 rushing yards.  Defensively, Mark Montano (North Haven, Conn.) led the Pride with eight stops, while Billy Carr (Southington, Conn.), DJ Brown (Wading River, N.Y.), and Aiden Lewin (Orlando, Fla.) each notched seven tackles. 

For Cortland, Jaden Alfanostjohn recorded 85 yards on the ground and scored twice, while Brees Segala was 12-for-19 for 231 yards and a touchdown.  JJ Laap caught four balls for 127 yards and a score.  Dylan Dubuque finished with a game-high 13 tackles and Zach Thuesen added 10 stops.  

After Springfield's defense came up with a three-and-out to start the game, the Pride's special teams delivered a huge play as Ian Porter (Middletown, N.J.) blocked a punt to give the visitors a short field with the ball on the Cortland 21 yard line. Seven plays later, Ladas plowed his way up the middle from a yard out to give the Pride the first score of the game.  A Christian Hutra (Holmes, N.Y.) extra point later, and Springfield held a 7-0 lead with 10:10 left in the quarter. 

The hosts answered right back with a 12-play, 73-yard drive that last 6:25 as Alfanostjohn found room the right edge for an eight-yard touchdown as the hosts knotted the game up with 3:38 on the clock. 

Springfield would later take over on their own 20 yard line at 13:23 mark of the second quarter and marched the ball 75 yards over 15 plays, which chewed up 8:44 on the clock, only to have Cortland come up a huge stop on fourth and one to take over on the Red Dragon five-yard line. After an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty called on Springfield gave Cortland a fresh set of downs on the Pride's 48-yard line, Segala connected with Laap for a 47-yard strike, setting up a one-yard score from Alfanostjohn as he went up and over the line with 1:47 remaining in the frame.  The extra point was wide right as Cortland's lead grew to 13-7.

Cortland forced a three-and-out, but Patrick Tuohy (Columbia, Conn.) unleashed a 47 yard punt into the pin to back the Red Dragons up to their 20 yard line.  Segala would then power his squad down the field, going 66 yards in just 58 seconds, as he helped set up a 31-yard field goal by Nick Guglielmo in the final seconds of the quarter to give the hosts a 16-7 halftime lead.  Each team had the ball for 15 minutes in the first half, but it was Cortland that held a 231-96 advantage in total offense. 

The Red Dragons would account for the only scoring of the third quarter, as Guglielmo cashed in on a 36-yard field goal at the 2:53 mark, as the hosts took advantage of a blocked Springfield punt.

Springfield responded going 75 yards in 11 plays, as Ladas found the end zone for the second time on the afternoon, running in from nine yards out to pull the Pride back within 19-14.  Cortland needed just over three minutes to answer back, as Laap got behind the Pride defense for a 51-yard touchdown strike as the lead was pushed back to 26-14.  

Facing a two-score deficit, Springfield put together a tremendous drive that lasted over seven minutes, as the Pride went 75 yards in 17 plays as Ladas found paydirt for a yard out again to make it a five-point game with 2:43 left. 

Cortland was able to recover the onside kick, but Springfield was able to get the ball back on their own 44 yard line following a three-and-out.  However, a fumble on the ensuing drive that Cortland landed on resulted in the first turnover of the game as the hosts held on for the victory. 

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