For Immediate Release
November 22, 2011
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West Haven, Conn. - After earning an opening round bye, the University of New Haven football team will host No. 3 seed Kutztown University in the second round of the NCAA Division II Football Championship tournament on Saturday, November 26. Game time at DellaCamera Stadium is set for 12:00 p.m.
The second-seeded Chargers finished the regular season with a mark of 10-1 overall, and were perfect in Northeast-10 Conference play, going 8-0. New Haven, which was ranked fifth in the country in the most recent NFCA Coaches' Poll, has used an explosive offense to overpower their opposition throughout the season.
The offensive attack, led by junior quarterback Ryan Osiecki, the Northeast-10 Offensive Player of the Year, averaged just under 43 points per game, to the tune of 472 points in the team's 11 games. Five times already this season, the Chargers have scored at least 50 points in a game.
Kutztown, a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), is the third-seed in the Super Region One bracket. The Bears knocked off Concord, 17-14, in their first round win to earn the program's first-ever win in the NCAA Tournament.
Kutztown, 11-1 overall, 6-1 PSAC, also features a high-octane offense that averaged 38 points per outing this season. The Bears are led by two-time PSAC Offensive Player of the Year, quarterback Kevin Morton, who threw for 2,680 yards and 32 touchdowns this season. He also added another five scores on the ground.
The winner of the New Haven / Kutztown game will take on the winner of the Winston Salem State / California (Pa.) contest, which will be played Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.
If New Haven was able to knock off Kutztown, it would mark the Northeast-10's first win in the NCAA Tournament since Southern Connecticut State University defeated Bryant in the first round of the 2007 national tournament. It would also tie the mark for the furthest a member of the NE-10 has advanced in the NCAA Tournament, as former conference member C.W. Post advanced to the quarterfinals in 2005.
For updates and scores throughout the week and during the game, follow the Northeast-10 on Twitter @TheNortheast10.
The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 5,500 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
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