Springfield, Mass. – November 22, 2025 – The Springfield College football team opened its 2025 postseason run with a 21-7 victory over Cortland on Saturday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament on Stagg Field.
Springfield, now 9-2 on the season, will travel to No. 8 Johns Hopkins University for the second round of the championship next Saturday at 12:00 pm, while Cortland ends its season at 8-3. This was the second straight season that Springfield and Cortland have met in the NCAA Tournament, with the Pride now owning an 18-17-1 advantage in the all-time series.
Saturday's game in Baltimore will be the first known meeting between the Pride and the Blue Jays.
Springfield's defense held a potent Cortland offense to its fewest points since November 24, 2012, when the Red Dragons fell to Wesley, 56-6, in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. In today's fourth quarter alone, Springfield held Cortland to just seven plays, less than two minutes of possession, and three total yards.
Bode Dunn (Stockton, N.J.) recorded 113 yards of rushing and two of Springfield's three touchdowns this afternoon, while
TJ Welch (Shrewsbury, Mass.) ran for 140 yards and Springfield's third touchdown of the day to put the game out of reach. Cortland quarterback Mike Rescigno completed 13 passes for 146 yards and also rushed for 78 yards. Ethan Gallo recorded Cortland's lone touchdown today.
As a team, Springfield gained 294 yards on the ground, held the ball for over 34 minutes (13 of which came in the fourth quarter), went 8-for-13 on third down, and scored on two of three chances in the red zone. Defensively,
Tyler Sordillo (Hull, Mass.) recorded seven tackles, while
Bryan Feliciano (Clifton, N.J.),
Will Aviles (Bethlehem, Pa.),
Nick Gonzalez (Parsippany, N.J.) and
Nick Peterson (Kingston, Mass.) all notched five tackles for the Pride, which as a team totaled four tackles for a loss.
Neither team was able to score in the first, but Cortland embarked on a 15-play, 77-yard drive that lasted over nine minutes early in the second for the 7-0 advantage. The drive was highlighted by a ten-yard rush on second down by Rescigno before he went to complete a trio of short passes over the middle. Gallo converted a rush on third down, setting the Red Dragons up inside the ten before he punched it in from the two for the first score of the contest.
Springfield answered on the ensuing drive as the Pride took over at their own 44.
James Green (Gales Ferry, Conn.) ripped off a rush of 18 yards, and Dunn ran six times, including for 16 yards, to get the ball down to the four. Out of a timeout called by Cortland with 1:12 remaining in the half, Dunn knotted the score at seven with a rush up the middle and into the end zone.
Cortland took the kickoff out to the 36-yard line, and with just 62 seconds remaining before the break, the Red Dragons and Rescigno were able to drive all the way down to the five. Cole Callard lined up for a 22-yard field goal that would have given Cortland a 10-7 lead, but
Aaziah Scott (Savannah, Ga.) batted the ball down at the line, leaving the score even at the break.
The two sides traded punts in the third until Springfield took over with 1:12 left in the third, but the Cortland punt left the Pride pinned deep in their own territory at the four. Springfield ran it short on four plays before Welch broke free for a gain of 19 on second down. On the next play, Welch found
Luke Zoller (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) through the air for 44 yards, the Pride pushed into Cortland territory. Seven plays later, Dunn punched the ball into the end zone for the second time, giving Springfield a 14-7 lead.
Cortalnd was forced three and out on its next drive, giving Springfield the ball back with 7:15 left in regulation. Springfield put together a methodical ten-play drive that was capped on a 38-yard touchdown run by Welch for insurance points, 21-7. Cortland once again went three and out, and Springfield went ahead and kneeled out the clock to advance into the second round.
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 eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 20 sports.