GAME DAY INFORMATION |
DATE: September 13, 2024
|
LOCATION: Northwell Stadium
Pleasantville, N.Y. |
|
GAME DAY LINKS |
TICKETS | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO |
|
|
|
THE FIRST LOOK
New Haven returns to the gridiron for the first and only time under the lights this season on Friday night when they face the Pace Setters in the first of two meetings against the NE10 foe. In the previous 14 meetings between the two teams, this marks the first time the Chargers and Setters will meet twice in the same season with Pace making the trip to West Haven to end the regular season on November 16.
INSIDE THE SERIES
·        New Haven and Pace meet for the 15th time in a series that dates back to October 24, 2009.
·        New Haven looks to remain unbeaten in the all-time series which includes back-to-back shutouts in 2013 (65-0) and 2014 (40-0).
·        In the previous 14 meetings, New Haven has outscored Pace 566-178 or an average of 27.7 points per game, including a 17-14 decision last season in Pleasantville.
A WIN OVER PACE WOULD...
·        keep the Chargers unbeaten against their conference foe with a perfect 14-0 record in the all-time series.
·        be the fifth time New Haven has beaten a conference team in the first of two meetings against that same team since the NE10 adopted the current scheduling policy for the 2019 season.
·        be the 10th time New Haven has defeated Pace under current head coach Chris Pincince, becoming just the second NE10 team that the Chargers have double digit wins against.
·        be the 283rd overall victory in the 45 plus year history of Charger Football.
·        be the 253rd victory since the Chargers began playing at the Division II level - first DII season was 1982.
GAME DAY FORECAST
New Haven and Pace will meet under ideal conditions when they take the field on Friday with temperatures around game-time in the mid 70's. The high temperature on Friday is predicted to be 82 degrees with a Friday night low of 60 degrees. Humidity levels will be on the rise throughout the evening with approximately a 70% humidity during the game. Sunset on Friday is scheduled fo 7:06 p.m. while the moon will already have made its appearance at 4:50 p.m. There is a minimal 8% change of rain, while winds will be very light at just four MPH our of the west.
SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
Once again, entering the season as the favorite to win the Northeast-10 Conference, the New Haven football team has one goal in mind - to return to the postseason for a fourth straight season. The Chargers are fresh off of their fifth NE10 title and 10th trip to the NCAA D2 playoffs, wrapping up the 2023 season with an 8-3 overall record. Offensively, the Chargers return a pair of key pieces in QB Daelan Menard and RB Christopher Ais (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton). In week 1, Menard finished his day with 150 passing yards on 16-of-40 attempts. On the ground, the Chargers racked up 126 yards with three different backs doing the work, led by Ais with 64 yards. Both Menard and Ais have the protection of an O-Line that ranked top-10 in the country last season in total tackles for loss and sacks allowed. Defensively, the Chargers return five All-Conference players, highlighted by a pair of major NE10 award winners, Defensive Player of the Year Giye Jenkins (West Orange, N.J./Seton Hall Prep) and Defensive Lineman of the Year Jack Quander (Gainsville, Va./Patriot). As a unit, New Haven's defense finished the year No. 2 in all of NCAA D2 in total interceptions with 21, led by Jenkins who finished with a team-high five. In week one, the Chargers defense held a dangerous Slippery Rock team that averaged 45 points per game in 2023 to just 22 points. Leading the way in week one was Jalen Fisher (Pasadena, Calif./Chaminade College Prep) who made nine stops.
SCOUTING THE SETTERS
Pace enters 2024 following a 3-7 campaign last year that included a pair of NE10 wins over American International and Saint Anselm, while also earning a win over Post prior to the Eagles becoming an associate member of the league ahead of this season. The Setters struggled to find a footing in week one when they welcomed East Stroudsburg to Pleasantville, dropping a 41-6 decision. Overall, Pace managed just 10 first downs against East Stroudsburg and was held to 213 yards of total offense while giving up 449 yards. Under center, The Setters relied on senior transfer QB Ah-Shaun Davis who finished with 192 yards on 17-of-28 passing. Davis transferred to Pace from Lafayette College where he racked up 2,118 passing yards and 11 TD's in three seasons. The Setters were not able to establish a running game against East Stroudsburg, finishing with just 21 rushing yards on the night. The lone score of the day in week 1 came on defense with Ibrahim Diallo who had a pick six, returning the INT 26 yards for the score.
NEXT ON TAP
Three weeks into the 2024 season, New Haven will finally make its first appearance of the year at Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium when they return to the gridiron next weekend. The home opener is scheduled for Saturday, September 21 with the Franklin Pierce Ravens visiting West Haven for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff in what will also serve as the Northeast-10 opener for both squads. The home opener for New Haven will also serve as the annual Family Day on campus, welcoming hundreds of parents, friends and family to campus. All of the action between the Chargers and Ravens can be seen live on the new home of NE10Now on Flo Sports with the familiar sounds of J.W. Stewart and Steve Kunsey calling the action.
Â
