MANCHESTER, N.H. – After the team's season-opening victory on Sept. 1, the Saint Anselm football team hosts American International on Saturday, Sept. 10, looking to move to 2-0 for the first time since the 2014 season.

SAINT ANSELM COLLEGE HAWKS (1-0, 0-0 NE10)
Roster | Schedule & Results | 2022 Statistics | News | Game Notes

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE YELLOW JACKETS (0-1, 0-0 NE10)
Roster | Schedule & Results | 2022 Statistics | News

Saint Anselm produced a well-rounded effort in its season-opener under the lights on Thursday, Sept. 1, picking up a 28-10 victory over visiting Millersville University at Grappone Stadium. The Hawks moved to 1-0 for the first time in a season since 2014, thanks to six team sacks and 10 pass breakups by the Hawks defense. Millersville (0-1) was limited to just a field goal through three quarters before a late touchdown with 42 seconds left created the final score.

American International logged a 21-7 loss at Frostburg State, in its first season as a full NCAA Division II member, on Thursday, Sept. 1, giving up 238 rushing yards while throwing three interceptions. The team also committed 12 penalties totaling nearly 60 yards, 

Admission to Saturday's game is $10, payable by credit card only at the gate. As a reminder to all fans, pets are not allowed within the confines of the Grappone Stadium fencing and field turf access is limited to those with pre-approved credentials only.

NOTABLES

• VICTORY OVER THE 'VILLE: Saint Anselm produced a well-rounded effort in its season-opener under the lights on Thursday, Sept. 1, picking up a 28-10 victory over visiting Millersville University at Grappone Stadium. Saint Anselm moved to 1-0 for the first time in a season since 2014, thanks to six team sacks and 10 pass breakups by the Hawks defense. Millersville (0-1) was limited to just a field goal through three quarters before a late touchdown with 42 seconds left created the final score. The Hawks scored first, doing so late in the first quarter, before Millersville answered with a field goal in the second quarter. Saint Anselm racked up the next 21 points, putting the game out of reach before the last-minute tally by the Marauders. Thursday's result was also the second victory by the Hawks over a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football program and the first since the 2012 campaign.
• HOW WE "DREW" IT UP: Junior quarterback Drew Willoughby (Austin, Texas) was a two-time award winner for his season-opening performance against Millersville. He secured NE10 Offensive Player of the Week honors on Monday, just one day after earning the prestigious Gold Helmet Award, conveyed by the New England Football Writers Association. Against Millersville, Willoughby was 30-for-42 through the air for 349 yards, hooking up with three different receivers for touchdowns. He also became just the seventh quarterback in Saint Anselm history to reach 3,000 career passing yards, entering the day just 197 yards away from that milestone. With the help of Willoughby, the Hawks won their season opener for the first time since 2014 and defeated a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference for the first time since 2012. He is the first from Saint Anselm to receive a Gold Helmet Award since Eric Fairweather on Nov. 17, 2019.
• DIALING UP THE DEFENSE: Despite the quality game turned in by Willoughby, the defense for Saint Anselm carried the momentum throughout the first half of play. Near the midpoint of the second quarter, a nice defensive play by sophomore Najei Snyder (Deltona, Fla.) prevented a 55-yard touchdown by Millersville quarterback Jack Stagaard. The Marauders were unable to cross the goal line, settling for a field goal for the first points of the game. Seniors Taylor Pawelkoski (Bradenton, Fla.) and Liam Flynn (Hanover, Mass.) each totaled 11 tackles while logging one sack apiece. Sophomore Austin Spille (Austin, Texas) had one-and-a-half sacks totaling 26 yards in the fourth quarter alone. Collectively, Millersville was 4-for-18 on third down and the quarterback tandem for Millersville was sacked six times for a combined loss of 45 yards in what was a solid display for the defense to open the year.
• HOME IS WHERE IT HAPPENS: Saint Anselm has now won seven of its last eight games played at Grappone Stadium since the start of the 2019 season. The one loss in that span came at the hands of nationally-ranked Bentley, an NCAA postseason team that finished with a 9-2 overall record in 2021. The last time the Hawks won seven out of eight games at Grappone Stadium came between the 2000 and 2001 seasons, beginning with a 19-14 win over Merrimack on Oct. 21, 2000. The longest home winning streak in program history was 15 games, spanning from Oct. 19, 1935 and running through Oct. 2, 1940.
• LEADERS OF THE PACK: As a team, Saint Anselm ranked at the top of the NE10 in 2021 in several statistical categories, including passing offense (314.7 - 9th overall in NCAA Division II), team tackles for a loss per game (7.7), and fumbles lost (three). The well-rounded Hawks ranked second in the conference in punt return yardage (12.15), sacks allowed (1.11), tackles for a loss allowed (4.11) and total offensive yards per game (380.9).
• WELCOME TO THE HILLTOP: The Hawks celebrated a successful National Signing Day in late March as Head Coach Joe Adam welcomed over 31 student-athletes to the Hilltop just one year after introducing 41 to the Anselmian community. Saint Anselm has also retained student-athletes at a higher rate, meaning that the roster heading into Thursday's tilt will strike a balance of youth and experience.
• STRENGTH IN NUMBERS: The Hawks open the season with over 120 student-athletes on the roster, the largest roster in College history. To accommodate the large group, a brand-new locker room was constructed along with new team spaces for women's soccer and women's lacrosse.
• REPLACING THE CARPET: Saint Anselm replaced the original artificial turf playing surface, first installed in 2011, this past summer. The new field features the athletics logo at midfield for the first time in College history and the end zones sport the "HAWKS" wordmark with a full navy backdrop.
• ONE LAST LOOK BACK: The Hawks season ended prematurely last season with a 3-6 overall record and a 3-5 mark against NE10 opponents. After the team's narrow 44-35 loss at Assumption on Nov. 6, Saint Anselm was set to face Bluefield State on the road in the regular-season finale but the contest was canceled.
• LET'S LOOK FORWARD: Saint Anselm will face 11 programs across 11 weeks without a bye, starting with the home opener and ending the regular season at American International on Saturday, Nov. 12. In addition to the team's regular Northeast-10 Conference schedule, the Hawks also have scheduled a non-league fixture against Post University on Saturday, Oct. 22. 

• Senior wideout Anthony Brown (Belton, Texas) enters the game on Saturday with exactly 1,500 receiving yards in his career, ranking 10th all-time, and needs just 500 yards to become the fifth student-athlete in Hawks history with 2,000 career receiving yards.
• Brown also has caught a pass in each of his 21 career games at Saint Anselm, the longest streak by a Hawks student-athlete since Zach Bartak '17 had 23 consecutive games with a reception from Nov. 8, 2014 through Nov. 12, 2016.

• Saint Anselm was projected to finish fifth out of eight teams in the Northeast-10 Conference's annual Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Saint Anselm earned 23 points, ranking fifth behind preseason favorite New Haven, the recipient of the maximum amount of first-place votes. Assumption is slotted to finish second and received the outlying first place vote. Bentley and Pace rounded out the top half of the standings. 
• After Saint Anselm, Southern Connecticut State, American International and Franklin Pierce rounded out the poll.
• According to D2Football.com and Paul Falewicz, the NE10 correspondent, the Hawks are predicted to finish second in the league behind New Haven. Assumption, Bentley and Southern Connecticut State round out Falewicz' top five.

• Anthony Brown (Belton, Texas), Liam Flynn (Hanover, Mass.), Bobby Long (Bridgewater, Mass.) and Vincent Wagner (Staten Island, N.Y.) will provide on-the-field leadership for the Hawks in 2022.
• A First Team All-Conference performer in 2021, Brown became a two-time team captain for the Hawks. Last season, Brown reeled in 56 passes for 812 yards with nine touchdowns, leading the NE10 outright in receiving yards per game (90.2) while tying for the league lead with nine receiving touchdowns. 
• Additionally, Brown's 6.2 receptions per game and 90.2 receiving yards per game ranked him within the top-25 in NCAA Division II in both statistics. He also served as the team's primary kick and punt returner, ranking 15th in NCAA Division II with 12.2 yards per punt return. 
• Flynn debuted for Saint Anselm in 2019 with 12 tackles before exploding for 57 takedowns in 2021, registering nine-and-a-half for a combined loss of 35 yards. Logging his first career interception against American Int'l on Oct. 30, he produced two double-digit tackle games (Sept. 17 at Southern Conn. St.; Oct. 16 at Stonehill) and posted one-and-a-half sacks.
• Long, the first Bridgewater, Mass. native to serve as a team captain since Dan Bohenek '09, has seen action in 27 games for the Hawks, scoring seven touchdowns as a wide receiver. Last season, he appeared in nine games and hauled in five scores, logging one in four out of five games played in the month of October. 
• One of just two student-athletes from New York State to be selected as a team captain (Yianni Gavalas '16), Wagner trailed only Brown with 787 all-purpose yards on the season. Logging over 100-plus all-purpose yards in four games on the year, he logged 483 rushing and 304 receiving yards to help Saint Anselm as a dual threat.

• Willoughby was named NE10 Rookie of the Year to end last season while Brown was named First Team on offense. Ryan Sullivan '22 was a Second Team pick on defense while then-freshman Carson Goda (Bradenton, Fla.) joined Willoughby on the conference's All-Rookie Team.
• The league leader in passing yards per game (311.4), Willoughby tied for the league lead with 22 touchdowns in 2021 and finished his first season on the Hilltop with 2,803 passing yards, the second most by any Saint Anselm quarterback in single-season team history. He threw for over 200 yards in all but two games and completed more than 60% of his passes on five occasions.
• The team's first Rookie of the Year selection since 2012, Willoughby ranks second in NCAA Division II in completions per game (27.89), seventh in the country in passing yards per game (311.4) and 12th in total offense (313.0).
• Brown played in all nine games for Saint Anselm, reeling in 56 passes for 812 yards with nine touchdowns, leading the NE10 outright in receiving yards per game (90.2) while tying for the league lead with nine receiving touchdowns. His 6.2 receptions per game and 90.2 receiving yards per game ranked him within the top-25 in NCAA Division II in both statistics.
• He also served as the team's primary kick and punt returner, ranking 15th in NCAA Division II with 12.2 yards per punt return. Brown was one of 75 student-athletes in NCAA Division II to return a punt this season, doing so in his team's home opener against Franklin Pierce on Sept. 25.
• Entering his fourth season on the Hilltop in 2022, his 13.71 yards per catch is the second-best figure in team annals and his 5.3 catches per game across 20 career contests for Saint Anselm is fourth. He also ranks as the top kick returner in team history (24.18/return) and the third-best punt returner (11.05/return).
• Goda had a stellar debut for Saint Anselm in 2021, posting 24 catches for 296 yards with three receiving touchdowns. Averaging 12.3 yards per catch, he posted at least two receptions in all but two games and had a career game against Stonehill on Oct. 16, reeling in five passes for 16 yards with a touchdown that went for 75 yards.

• Jordan Softcheck, the Offensive Coordinator, was a finalist for the American Football Coaches Association's Assistant Coach of the Year award to end the 2021 campaign.
• The Assistant Coach of the Year award was first presented in 1997 and was created to honor assistant coaches who excel in community service, commitment to the student-athlete, on-field coaching success and AFCA professional organization involvement.
• One of 50 nominees from across the NCAA and NAIA landscape, Softcheck recently completed his fourth season as the team's Offensive Coordinator in 2021 under Adam. His offensive units hold two of the top five single-season records in team history for total offense (377.5, 2019; 380.9, 2021).
• Under his guidance in 2021, the Hawks offense finished as the ninth-ranked unit in NCAA Division II, averaging 314.7 passing yards – furthermore, Saint Anselm was ranked second in the Northeast-10 Conference in total offense (380.9).
• In the 2021 season, Softcheck mentored the league's Rookie of the Year in Willoughby, a First Team wide receiver in Brown, and an All-Rookie Team pick in Goda.