For Immediate Release
December 3, 2011
Winston-Salem, N.C. – The University of New Haven football team suffered a 27-7 defeat to Winston-Salem State University on Saturday afternoon in an NCAA Quarterfinal contest at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The loss marks the end of an extremely successful season for the New Haven football program. New Haven, which actually stopped football activities from 2004-08, averaged over 40 points per game en route to an 11-2 record in 2011.
The Chargers claimed the Northeast-10 Conference title in the process, and also earned a key 44-37 victory over Kutztown University last weekend in an NCAA Second Round contest to set up Saturday's showdown at Winston-Salem.
New Haven received the game's opening kickoff but was forced to punt on its first offensive series. Winston-Salem then took advantage on its first possession, as quarterback Kameron Smith and hooked up with Jameze Massey for a touchdown to make it 6-0 after the missed extra point.
But on the ensuing drive, the Chargers marched down field before the drive culminated in a 36-yard touchdown pass to Demetrius Washington-Ellison from quarterback Ryan Osiecki, the Northeast-10 Offensive Player of the Year. The successful point after attempt gave New Haven a 7-6 lead.
The New Haven defense then came up with a huge fourth down stop to take over at midfield, but it was followed by an Osiecki interception. Nonetheless, the Chargers then came up with another defensive stop to force a punt, but the return was mishandled and recovered by the Rams at the Chargers' 12-yard line.
That set up a 10-yard scamper by the Rams' Nicholas Cooper, who found the end zone to retake the lead, 13-7.
That score would stand at the half, as both teams had drives halted late in the second quarter.
The Rams received the kick coming out of the break, but another New Haven stop on fourth down gave Osiecki and the Chargers' offense the ball back. However, the stifling Rams' defense got to Osiecki for a sack that backed the Chargers up and placed them out of field goal territory.
A Chris Scifo punt pinned Winston-Salem inside the 10-yard line after the sack, but the Rams would march down the field before another Massey touchdown catch made it 20-7 just 40 seconds into the fourth quarter.
With less than nine minutes left, Winston-Salem went for it on fourth down deep inside Chargers' territory, only for the passed to be picked off by New Haven, who then marched down the field to make set up a first-and-goal opportunity. But Osiecki would be intercepted by linebacker Carlos Fields at the goal line with 3:36 remaining in the contest.
Cooper proceeded to take a 72-yard run for Winston-Salem inside the New Haven one-yard line before the Rams managed to punch it in two plays later with 39 seconds left. The extra point made it 27-7.
Osiecki finished with 209 yards through the air on 16-of-32 passing while throwing for one touchdown and two interceptions. Running back Mike DeCaro had 74 yards rushing on 15 carries, while Anthony Tillman carried it six times for 40 yards.
Saturday's loss was the first and only against a Division II opponent this season for the Chargers, who suffered a 13-10 setback to FCS school William & Mary in September. Meanwhile, the Rams improved their unblemished record to 13-0 and will play in a national semifinal game next weekend.
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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