MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College football team announced its complete 2024 schedule on Monday afternoon. Saint Anselm will play 10 games this coming fall, including a slate of eight Northeast-10 Conference (NE10) contests.
Led by 2023 NE10 Coach of the Year
Joe Adam, who enters his ninth season at the helm of the program, the Hawks are coming off consecutive winning seasons for the first time in modern-day program history and their highest-ever league finish a season ago.
"As we approach the upcoming season, fueled by our blue-collar mentality, our aim is to sustain the positive momentum and put ourselves in a position to compete for the NE10 title," Adam said. "With back-to-back winning seasons, we are prepared to push ourselves and uphold our winning tradition through relentless perseverance and pursuit of victory."
Saint Anselm opens the season on the road in non-conference action against NCAA Division I FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) opponent Sacred Heart University. The season-opener is scheduled for Saturday, September 7 at 12:00 p.m. from Campus Field in Fairfield, Conn. It will be just the second game ever between the Hawks and the Pioneers.
After that, Saint Anselm returns to campus for their home-opener on Saturday, September 14 against Bentley University. Kickoff time has yet to be determined in the final non-league game of the year for the Hawks.
NE10 play starts the following weekend on Saturday, September 21. Saint Anselm heads to Springfield, Mass. to battle American International College, a team the Hawks have beaten in each of their last four meetings.
Three out of the next four games will be played at home from the friendly confines of Grappone Stadium. First, Saint Anselm plays host to Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday, September 28 before welcoming Post University to Manchester the following weekend to open the month of October. Post, who will be playing their first official season in the NE10 in 2024, has never beaten Saint Anselm.
On Saturday, October 12, the Hawks head to Pleasantville, N.Y. for another conference matchup against the Setters of Pace University, a program that Saint Anselm has defeated just once in the last five seasons. The Hawks will look to pick up their first win in Pleasantville since the 2017 campaign.
Saint Anselm wraps up their October set of games with a home contest against Assumption University on Saturday, October 19. The Hawks defeated the Greyhounds on the road last season for just the second time in the last 19 years. It was the first win against a nationally-ranked opponent in program history for Saint Anselm, with Assumption being No. 21 in the NCAA Division II national rankings at the time.
After their game against the Greyhounds, the Hawks have a well-deserved bye week scheduled before concluding the season with three more games in November.
On Saturday, November 2, Saint Anselm travels to Rindge, N.H. for a rivalry game against Franklin Pierce University. The Hawks are undefeated versus the Ravens in four meetings all-time.
The final home game of the season will be played on Saturday, November 9 with Saint Anselm hosting the University of New Haven. Last year, the Hawks beat the Chargers on the road for the first time since 2014.
Saint Anselm concludes their regular season on Saturday, November 16 in Waltham, Mass. for what will be the second of two games against Bentley in 2024. The Hawks defeated the Falcons in comeback fashion a season ago for just the second time in program history.
In 2023, Saint Anselm finished in second place in the NE10 standings with a 5-2 league record and the help of one of the best defenses in both the conference and the country. The Hawks concluded last season ranked third in NCAA Division II in fumbles recovered (13), sixth in first downs allowed (136), 10th in blocked kicks (six), 10th in opposing third-down conversion percentage (26.9%), and 11th in blocked punts (three). The stout Saint Anselm defense allowed just 142.4 passing yards per game, the seventh-best figure in the nation.
Saint Anselm also completed last fall's schedule at 6-4 overall, the same record that they posted in 2022. It is the first time in modern-day program history that the Hawks have posted back-to-back winning seasons.
The Hawks had ten student-athletes featured on the 2023 NE10 Football All-Conference rosters in addition to Adam winning Coach of the Year, highlighted by rising senior
Carson Goda (Bradenton, Fla.) who was an All-NE10 Second Team selection for the second straight year.
The full 2024 schedule of games reads as follows, with all game times outside of the season-opener to be determined. All games are to be played on Saturday and bold games will be played at home. Conference games have been designated with an asterisk.
Sept. 7 at Sacred Heart (NCAA DI FCS) - 12:00 p.m.
Sept. 14 vs. Bentley
Sept. 21 at American International*
Sept. 28 vs. Southern Connecticut State*
Oct. 5 vs. Post*
Oct. 12 at Pace*
Oct. 19 vs. Assumption*
Nov. 2 at Franklin Pierce*
Nov. 9 vs. New Haven*
Nov. 16 at Bentley*
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