Fast start not enough as Football falls to New Haven

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College football team struck first, but the University of New Haven came back to earn a 33-14 Northeast-10 Conference win over the Yellow Jackets on Friday, September 29.

AIC is now 1-4 on the year and 0-3 in the NE10.

The Yellow Jackets were incredibly effective on the opening drive, with multiple plays of 10-plus yards, including completions to Dahvey Hicks and Fatir Bell and a 13-yard dash by Sidiki Kone to push AIC deeper into Chargers territory. On that play, Cephas Williams threw a strike to Brian LaFrance in the end zone, giving AIC a 6-0 lead just 5:02 into the game; Joseph Caloiero connected on the PAT to make the score 7-0.

New Haven looked as if it would respond on the next drive, pushing across the midfield line, but on third down at the AIC 40, a pass was tipped by a defensive lineman and fell into the hands of JJ Gonzalez, who was able to elude a few tacklers and drew some fantastic blocking as he flew all the way to the end zone for a 65-yard pick six. Caloiero's second PAT gave AIC a 14-0 lead at the 6:58 mark. 

The Chargers rebounded on their next drive. After a solid kick return put them at their own 39, they put together a 12-play drive, including converting a fourth-and-seven, to score, with Jack Chandler taking it into the end zone on a three-yard quarterback keeper. However, the snap on the PAT was botched, preventing the Chargers from tacking on the extra point.

After AIC's next drive ended in an interception, the Chargers put together a 13-play touchdown drive, again converting a fourth down as part of their push downfield. Hunter Cobb finished it with a six-yard touchdown run. The Chargers went for two to try to tie the game, and AIC's defense held, forcing an incompletion on the conversion to maintain the lead.

On their next drive, the Chargers took the ball at midfield and rushed their way to the end zone, with Cobb busting a 16-yard run for the New Haven lead, which was 19-14 after the successful PAT, and the score that the teams took into halftime.

New Haven tacked on a pair of touchdowns in the second half to earn the 33-14 final.

LaFrance's 51 receiving yards were a game high among wideouts. Kone rushed for 69 yards. Hicks brought in 31 yards on catches and an additional 101 kick return yards for a total of 132 all-purpose yards.

AIC next heads to Assumption University on Saturday, October 7 for a 12:00 p.m. kickoff.