Springfield, Mass. – The Springfield College football team saw its 2023 season come to a close this afternoon as the Pride fell to the No. 19 nationally-ranked Ithaca College Bombers, 21-7, in the opening round of the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.
Springfield closes its season, after winning its third straight New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship title, with an overall record of 9-2, while Ithaca improved to 9-2 and will play No. 8 Randolph-Macon College next weekend in the round of 16. Today marked the ninth all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament for Springfield and the first home playoff game for the Pride since 2017.
NEWMAC Athlete of the Year
Arsen Shtefan (West Hartford, Conn.) ran for 66 yards to lead Springfield's offense this afternoon, while
Blane Hart (East Lyme, Conn.) posted 22 yards and the Pride's lone touchdown on the day. As a team, Springfield converted on 11 first downs and went 4-for-10 on third downs. Ithaca, meanwhile, was led by 191 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns from Jalen Leonard-Osbourne.
Defensively,
Aiden Lewin (Orlando, Fla.) led the Pride with 13 tackles, while Jake Connolly paced the Bombers with 12 tackles on the day.
Ithaca strung together an 18 play, 68-yard drive that spanned over nine minutes on the game's first possession, which resulted in a three-yard touchdown run by Leonard Osbourne. The Bombers forced a three and out on Springfield's first possession, but a 72-yard punt from
Michael McDevitt (West Chester, Pa.) started Ithaca on its own one-yard line.
Colin Schumm ran for a two-yard scramble before Leonard-Osbourne broke a tackle and sprinted 90 yards down to the seven-yard line. Jalen Hines broke the plane on the very next play on a seven-yard run to push Ithaca's lead to 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
After Springfield deferred on the opening kickoff, the pride took the ball to open the second half, but Darren Brunner forced a fumble at the 15 yard line. Two rushing plays later by Leonard-Osboure extended, Ithaca pushed its advantage to 21-0.
With 7:04 to play in the third, Springfield put together a 17 play, 80-yard drive that lasted over nine minutes and resulted in a touchdown for the Pride. Shtefan converted on a third down rush,
Jacob Silvester (Lancaster, Mass.) completed a pair of passes to
Bradley Barcello (Weston, Conn.) and
Noah Wagnblas (Ansonia, Conn.) and Hart ran to his left and crossed the goal line for Springfield's first touchdown of the day.
Both teams punted on their next possessions and Springfield took over at its own 30-yard line with 3:29 to play in regulation, but the Bombers forced a fumble and ran out to clock to account for the 21-7 final.
About the NEWMAC
The NEWMAC is an association of 12 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with four Associate Members: Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), while sponsoring 20 sports.