Springfield College

Springfield, Mass. — September 26, 2026 — The Springfield College football team defeated MIT, 19-13, on Stagg Field on Saturday afternoon in the Pride's New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opener.
 
The Pride improve to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in NEWMAC play, while the Engineers fall to 2-1 overall and 0-1 in conference play.
 
Bradley Barcello (Weston, Conn.) led the team offensively, rushing for 104 yards on 10 carries while Stanford Davis (Montague, N.J.) and Jayden Aziz (Washington, N.J.) added 52 and 44 yards on the ground, respectively, with Aziz scoring the Pride's lone offensive touchdown. Defensively, Mike Mendicino (Pound Ridge, N.Y.) Springfield, recording two interceptions along with seven tackles. Tyler Sordillo (Hull, Mass.) led the team with eight tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Sordillo and J.T. Kinsey (Savannah, Ga.) each blocked a kick. Sean Polinsky (Harwinton, Conn.) and Christian Johnson-Hall (Savannah, Ga.) each recorded a sack, while Ian Wernik (Plymouth, Mass.) hit two field goals, including a career-long 40-yarder.
 
Springfield opened the game with a 27-yard drive that ended when Wernik drilled a 40-yard field goal in windy conditions to put the Pride up 3-0. MIT was forced to punt on their first drive, but took the ball back quickly after forcing a three-and-out and blocking Springfield's punt deep in Pride territory. Three plays later, the Engineers scored, though their extra-point try was blocked by Sordillo, giving the Engineers a 6-3 lead.
 
MIT forced and recovered a fumble on Springfield's next drive, but were unable to score. Both teams exchanged punts to end the first quarter and begin the second. With just over ten minutes left in the first half, the Pride mounted a seven-play, 30-yard drive that ended with another made field goal for Wernik, this time from 34 yards out, tying the game at six.
 
MIT responded with a 68-yard drive of their own, capped off by a 22-yard touchdown pass to retake the lead 13-6, following a made extra point. The Pride answered back with a three-minute possession, but with only seconds remaining in the second quarter, Wernik's third field goal attempt missed wide right, sending both teams into halftime with the Engineers leading 13-6.
 
Springfield forced MIT to punt after three plays following the second half kickoff, but fumbled on the first play of their drive, giving the Engineers the ball back at the Pride's 33-yard line. Springfield's defense responded when Mendicino grabbed his first interception of the game in order to give the ball back to the offense for a game-changing 71-yard touchdown drive, highlighted by a 27-yard rush from Barcello, Springfield's longest offensive play in the game. Aziz scored the touchdown on a one-yard rush, and Wernik drilled the extra point to tie the game at 13.
 
Both offenses stalled at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth, with the two teams combining for five punts and a turnover-on-downs. With 5:07 left in the game, MIT got the ball back on their own 13-yard line and would start a long drive that would bring the ball all the way to the Springfield 15. The Pride's defense held the Engineers, with Kinsey recording back-to-back hurries on two incomplete passes. MIT set up for a 32-yard field goal to take the lead, but Kinsey came up huge, blocking the kick that allowed Will Aviles (Bethlehem, Pa.) to recover the loose ball and take it 72-yards for a Springfield touchdown as a failed two-point conversion gave the Pride a 19-13 lead.
 
With under two minutes to play, the Engineers quickly made their way back into Springfield territory, getting all the way to the Springfield 22-yard line before calling their second timeout. With 41 seconds remaining, Mendicino stepped up again to intercept a pass from Noah Hopkins to clinch a 19-13 victory for the Pride. 
 
Springfield outrushed MIT 248-43 in the game, though the Engineers held a 227-0 advantage passing, ultimately outgaining the Pride 270-248 on the day. Both teams forced two turnovers, while Springfield held a 34:26 to 25:34 advantage in time of possession.
 
The Pride continue conference play on the road against Salve Regina on Saturday, October 3 at 12:00 pm.
 
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