WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New tHaven football team was on the short side of its third one-possession game to open 2014, dropping a 24-20 decision to visiting Northeast-10 foe Assumption. Andre Anderson (New Haven, Conn./James Hillhouse) rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns, while Ty Headen (Newark, N.J./American History) had 10 catches for 114 yards and a receiving score in front of a standing room only crowd of 3,876 at Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium.
 
With the loss, New Haven falls to 0-3 on the season with an 0-2 NE-10 mark. Assumption notches its first win of the year, improving to 1-2 with an 1-1 conference tally.
 
Anderson's 105 yards came on just 12 carries, fueled by a 47-yard scamper on a third-quarter drive to set up his second touchdown of the day. He added three catches for 10 yards out of the backfield. Fellow running back Trevor Officer (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) chipped in with 35 rushing yards and four receptions for 20 yards.
 
Quarterback Joey Bradley (Issaquah, Wash./Issaquah / University of North Dakota) set new career marks for completions and attempts with a 35-for-49 day. The senior signal caller amassed 264 yards and a touchdown through the air to go along with an 11-yard scramble on his only rushing attempt.
 
Bradley's top target was Headen, whose 10 catches mark the most by a Charger since Sharieff Hall reeled in 12 passes from Ryan Osiecki at Assumption on Sept. 11, 2009. Headen's 114 yards are a career high. DeeJay White (Brooklyn, N.Y./Sheepshead Bay / Bowling Green State University) had five receptions for 43 yards, and Brandon Fowler (Prospect, Conn./Woodland Regional / Connecticut) and Rishawn Harris (Springfield, Mass./Putnam Vocational Technical Academy) each caught four passes for 32 and 31 yards, respectively.
 
Rounding out the production for the receiving corps were Courtney Moshood (Miami, Fla./Miami Palmetto) with two receptions and one grab apiece from Henry Adegunle (Rockaway, N.Y./Channel View), Jonathan Badyna (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) and Roshawn Wilson (Miami, Fla./Miami Southridge).
 
Tyler Condit (Caldwell, N.J./James Caldwell) and Tarik Pusey (Brooklyn, N.Y./Abraham Lincoln / Rhode Island) led the defense with seven tackles apiece. In the secondary Herbens Antenor (Malden, Mass./Malden) made six stops to go along with an interception and a pass broken up in the end zone on third down to force a Greyhounds' field goal attempt. Matt Olivo (Carteret, N.J./Saint Joseph) also picked up a turnover, pouncing on a fumble at the one-yard line with Assumption poised to extend its lead to two possessions in the fourth quarter.

2013 First Team All-Northeast-10 punter Anthony Greenfield (Bloomfield, N.J./Paramus Catholic / Wagner) did his job of reversing field position for the Blue and Gold. Greenfield averaged 45.6 yards per punt of his five tries, including a career-best 66-yard boomer from his own end zone.
 
The Assumption offense was led by its ground game, as Alex Shain, Matt Heriveaux and quarterback Trevor Vasey each ran for a touchdown. Vasey was 17-of-27 passing for 303 yards and an interception. Dave Call and Eddy Frazier each turned in 100-yard receiving performances.
 
The first quarter was a defensive stalemate, with the nearest scoring chance in the game's early stages resulting in a missed 41-yard field goal by Assumption's Tad Beuchert. Both punters showed their stuff in the opening 15 minutes, with Greenfield uncorking a 49-yarder and 42-yarder, while the Greyhounds' Patrick Tyler turned in a 50-yard punt on what would be his only attempt of the afternoon.
 
With 4:07 to go in the first frame, Assumption took over on its own 20-yard line and embarked on the day's first scoring drive. The march down the field encompassed 21 plays and 80 yards, chewing up 7:25 of the clock and culminating with a Vasey one-yard sneak on fourth-and-goal to stake the Greyhounds to a 7-0 lead with 11:42 to go in the half. The drive saw Assumption convert five third downs, including a 3rd-and-11 and a 3rd-and-18.
 
The Chargers' ensuing possession ventured beyond midfield, but stalled out at the Assumption 48-yard line. Greenfield's punt pinned the Greyhounds at their own 12-yard line, but the visitors used a 65-yard hookup from Vasey to Eddy Frazier to facilitate an eventual six-yard Heriveaux scoring plunge.
 
On its next drive – the final possession of the half for the Blue and Gold – New Haven cut the deficit in half at 14-7. Bradley completed eight consecutive completions, highlighted by a 19-yard pass to Headen and a 21-yard pitch-and-catch with Harris that brought the drive into the red zone. Two plays later, Anderson scooted in from the three-yard line to put the Chargers on the board.
 
A 46-yard kickoff return by De'Ontray Johnson gave Assumption a shot to extend its lead before the intermission, but Beuchert's 47-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left as time expired.
 
New Haven attempted an on-side kick to open the second half and, despite a well-executed attempt from Greenfield, the Greyhounds recovered the try to set themselves up with a short field. A sack by Ralph Jonathas (Everett, Mass./Everett) on third down kept Assumption out of the end zone, but Beuchert stuck a 34-yard field goal to extend the visitors' advantage to 17-7.
 
On the next New Haven possession, Anderson ripped off a 47-yard run to advance the ball into the red zone at the Assumption 16-yard line. Back-to-back Officer runs moved the ball inside the 5-yard line, and Anderson finished off the march two plays later with a one-yard dive across the plane. Greenfield's extra point brought the Chargers back within three points at 17-14 with 9:25 to go in the third quarter.
 
Both teams threatened to score on their next drive, but each came up empty. First, Assumption drove as far as the New Haven eight-yard line before Beuchert bounced a field goal attempt off of the right upright. The ensuing Chargers' drive moved to Greyhounds' 22-yard line before stalling on an incomplete pass on 4th-and-3 that gave possession back to the visitors with the quarter winding down.
 
Assumption once again moved into the red zone and was poised to add a touchdown to its slim lead. However, a Heriveaux fumble at the one-yard line was recovered by Olivo to give possession back to the Chargers, albeit 99 yards away from paydirt.
 
New Haven moved out of the shadow of its own goalposts but was eventually forced to punt. Greenfield uncorked a booming kick that sailed 66 yards before it was downed at the Assumption 27-yard line.
 
On the ensuing drive, the New Haven defense stepped up once again. This time, Antenor swooped in and picked off a pass at the New Haven 14-yard line, returning it 23 yards to the 37-yard marker. The following Chargers' drive reached the cusp of the red zone at the Assumption 20-yard line, but Greenfield's 37-yard field goal attempt – which would have tied the game – stayed left.
 
After the missed kick, Assumption took over with 4:35 to play. The Chargers nearly picked up their third turnover of the final quarter on a Michael Intrieri (Westerly, R.I./Westerly / Dean College) forced fumble. However, Johnson scooped up his own fumble to retain possession for the visitors. The recovery immediately loomed large, as the Greyhounds scored on the next snap – a 44-yard touchdown run of Shain's first and only carry of the afternoon. After the extra point sailed through, the Chargers faced a 24-14 deficit with just 1:33 remaining in the game.
 
The Chargers' final drive was effective in moving down the field, but time continued to tick away. Bradley was 6-for-8 for 47 yards on the possession, but the drive consumed the remainder of the game as Headen reeled in a touchdown pass with no time remaining to run the score to its final of 24-20 in favor of the Greyhounds.
 
The Chargers begin the only two-game road swing on the schedule with a Saturday, Sept. 27 trip to Bentley (1-2, 0-2 NE-10). Kickoff from Waltham is slated for 2 p.m. New Haven will play the following Saturday evening, Oct. 4, at Stonehill (1-2, 1-1 NE-10) before returning home to defend the Elm City Trophy on Saturday, Oct. 11 against crosstown rival Southern Connecticut State (1-2, 1-1 NE-10).