Springfield, Mass. - September 17, 2022 - The Springfield College football team was edged by Union College, 21-6, on Stagg Field in non-conference play on Saturday afternoon.

Union, which entered the game receiving votes in the most recent D3football.com National Poll, moved to 3-0, while the Pride dipped to 1-2.

Springfield put together a stout defensive effort that held the Union offense in check for most of the game, as the visitors came into the game averaging 59 points per contest.  DJ Brown (Wading River, N.Y.)  had a team-best 10 stops, including 1.5 tackles for loss, while David Wells (Huntington, Conn.) rushed for 122 yards as he directed the Pride to 290 yards of total offense.  Christian Hutra (Holmes, N.Y.) connected on both of his field goal attempts to account for all of the Pride's scoring.   The Pride held the ball for 34:58 but was held to just 5 of 17 on third down.

Donovan Pacatte was 11-for-18 for 133 yards and a score and Ike Irabor ran for 124 yards and a score on nine carries. Cole DaSilva led all players with 15 tackles.

The visitors struck for the game's first score just over two minutes into the contest as Pacatte connected with Andre Ross Jr. in the back corner of the end zone from 26 yards out. Springfield would respond on their first possession of the game as Hutra buried a 43 yard field goal with 7:36 remaining in the opening quarter, capping off an eight-play drive. The teams would trade punts before the Pride manufactured a 14-play drive that chewed up nearly eight minutes off the clock.  The drive ended in another Hutra field goal, this one from 23 yards out, with just under eight minutes remaining in the first half. Union answered right back, as Pacatte found Nick Dunneman for a 48-yard catch and run to bring the ball into Pride territory before Jonathan Anderson plowed his way in from a yard out on fourth and goal to give the Dutchmen a 14-6 edge heading into the half.

Springfield threatened early in the third, as the the Pride's second drive of the half began with Wells racing 41 yards to being the ball inside the Union 25 yard line.  Springfield would go for it on fourth down from the Dutchmen's seven yard line, but Nathan Sullivan jumped a route for an interception on the goal line to keep the Pride out of the end zone.  

Neither team would score in the third and the Pride came up with a turnover of its own just over a minute into the fourth as Aiden Lewin (Orlando, Fla.) elevated in the middle of the field to pick off Pacatte inside the Pride's 30 yard line. Springfield's defense would later come up with another tunover as Terrell Jacobs-Baston (Plainville, Mass.) popped the ball frm Pacatte with 7:23 left in regulation and Amir Preston (Darien, Conn.) covered up the ball to give Springfield great field position on the visitors 34 yard line.  However, the Dutchmen were able to snuff out the Pride's threatening drive as they forced a turnover on downs after stoppeing Springfield's 4th and 4 bid from the Union 12 yard line. Four plays later, Irabor broke free for a 74 yard scamper for the only score of the second half to put the game out of reach. 

Springfield closes out its four-game homestand to begin the season and hosts Husson next Saturday at 12 pm. 

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