Manchester, N.H. -- On Saturday afternoon, the Saint Anselm football team returns home to face the C.W. Post Pioneers for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Grappone Stadium.

C.W. Post (1-2, 1-1 Northeast-10) at Saint Anselm (0-3, 0-2 Northeast-10)
Series Record: 8-0 C.W. Post
Live Stats: livestats.prestosports.com/saintanselm
On the Web:www.NE10.tv (available for $6.99)
Weather Forecast: Partly Cloudy, 71 degrees, 10 % chance of precip., Wind NNW 13 mph

This Week's Matchup: In this week's game, the Hawks play host to the Pioneers of C.W. Post. Both teams are coming off a loss as the Hawks return home after a 20-9 loss at Pace, while the Pioneers dropped a 12-7 final to Stonehill College last Saturday afternoon. The all-time series between the teams stands at 8-0 in favor of C.W. Post, including a 34-0 final last year in Brookville, N.Y.

Homecoming for the Hawks: This week's game is the Annual Homecoming Game and the Saint Anselm football program would like to welcome back alumni and friends attending the game.

A Look at the Hawks: The Hawks are coming off a 20-9 loss at Pace last Saturday in a game that saw defense dominate for much of the contest. The Hawks got on the board late in the first half on a field goal from freshman Dylan McSparren and pulled within five early in the third quarter when senior cornerback  Melvin Perdue picked off an errant pass and raced 70 yards up the near sideline for the touchdown. The 70-yard scamper was the second-longest interception return in Saint Anselm football history. The Hawks managed to stop the Setters on the next eight possessions, but were unable to score the go-ahead touchdown before Pace added a late score to account for the final.

Leading the Hawks on the ground has been junior Conor Cahill, who earned his first start of the season on Saturday and is averaging 4.0 yards per carry in 36 attempts. Senior Nick Barese has started all three games for the Hawks, completing 34 passes for 265 yards and one touchdown, along with running for two other TD scores. The team's leading receiver and kick returner is senior Corey Williams (pictured left) with 14 catches for 119 yards and 13 kick returns for 246 yards.

Junior Brian Tormollan leads the defense with 26 tackles, including 17 solo stops, one pass breakup and one forced fumble. Tyson Bailey boasts a team-leading 21 solo tackles, while senior Casey Larson is third on the team with 24 tackles and leads the team with three sacks for a loss of 20 yards. Senior Bill Fletcher has enjoyed an outstanding season as well as he has 16 tackles, including four for a loss, along with a pair of sacks.

A Look at the Pioneers: C.W. Post, picked second in the Northeast-10 Preseason Coaches Poll, enters this week's contest following a surprising 12-7 home loss to Stonehill last Saturday and sits at 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the Northeast-10. The Pioneers haven't had an easy road thus far though as the team opened with a trip to 12th-ranked Bloomsburg and then traveled to Pace for their Northeast-10 opener.

The Pioneers are currently averaging 380 yards of total offense per game, including 224.3 yards in the air and 155.7 on the ground. Leading the way for the Pioneers at quarterback is Nick  Georgetti, who is 62-for-99 for 673  yards with no interceptions and four touchdowns through three games. On the ground, Anthony Lazarus has 181 yards in 44 rushing attempts, an average of 4.1 yards per carry. Four different receivers have pulled in touchdown catches, including leading receiver Chris Bone. Bone has 17 catches for 243 yards, including a long of 54 yards. Defensively, the Pioneers rank first in the league in rushing defense, allowing just 77 yards on the ground per game and 18 total points per contest. The team's leading tackler is Pierre Delva with 20 tackles, including 12 solo stops, eight assisted tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. Overall, the Pioneers have 30 tackles for loss for a total of 104 yards in three games.

All-Americans On Display: This weekend's game features two of the top defensive ends in the nation in Saint Anselm senior Casey Larson (pictured right) and C.W. Post senior Maurice Baker. The two were honored last season as Northeast-10 Co-Defensive Lineman of the Year and  both earned All-American honors. Larson currently ranks 16th in the league in tackles per game and second in sacks following last week's 10-tackle, three-sack performance. Baker finished last week's game with five tackles and two sacks. In addition, he currently ranks third in the Northeast-10 in fumble recoveries per game.

Saint Anselm Athletics on the Web: For the latest on Saint Anselm athletics, please visit the official athletics web site at www.anselm.edu/athletics. Game stories, roster, statistics and more, www.anselm.edu/athletics is your source for the latest on Saint Anselm athletics. For more information, contact the Sports Information Office at 603-641-7810.