FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Behind a bruising ground game and a balanced offensive attack, the Sacred Heart football team rolled to a 35–20 victory over New Haven on Saturday afternoon at Campus Field. 

With today's win, head coach Mark Nofri earned his 80^th career win after taking over the reins in 2012.

The Pioneers racked up 387 yards of total offense and scored in three straight quarters to remain undefeated at home, 4-0. Defensively, the Pioneers were relentless—holding New Haven scoreless in the third quarter and forcing the Chargers into just 4-of-14 on third downs.

Final Score:
Sacred Heart 35
New Haven 20

Records:
Sacred Heart (6-3)
New Haven (4-5)

Top Performers:
Offense – 
Jack Snyder: Passing (13-24, 158 yds, 1 TD) | Rushing (11 carries, 52 yds, 1 TD)
Mitchell Summers: 21 carries | 93 yds | 2 TD's
Chuck Webb: 9 carries | 44 yds | 1 TD
Dean Hangey: 5 receptions | 86 yds | 1 TD

Defense –
Luke Hackett: 7 tackles 
Peter Schanne: 6 tackles | 1.5-3 TFL/Yds 
Kymari Latney: 6 tackles | 0.5-1 TFL/Yds | 1 interception

How it Happened:
After falling behind early, the Pioneers found their rhythm midway through the second quarter and never looked back—scoring touchdowns on four of their final five drives to seize control of the game.

New Haven struck first with a 39-yard field goal late in the opening quarter, but Sacred Heart answered with a statement drive. The Pioneers marched 82 yards on 15 plays, capped by a six-yard touchdown plunge from Mitchell Summers to give SHU a 7–3 lead.

The Chargers briefly regained momentum with a quick 83-yard drive of their own, punching in a two-yard score to go up 10–7. However, Sacred Heart's offense responded again right before the half, grinding out an 11-play, 75-yard drive. Summers once again finished it off—this time from a yard out—to send the Pioneers into the locker room ahead 14–10.

Coming out of halftime, the Pioneers continued to control the trenches. On their first possession of the third quarter, Chuck Webb powered through the New Haven front for a 10-yard touchdown run, stretching the lead to 21–10.

After the defense forced another stop, Jack Snyder put the exclamation point on an efficient afternoon through the air. The sophomore quarterback dropped a perfectly placed deep ball to Dean Hangey for a 43-yard touchdown, giving Sacred Heart a commanding 28–10 advantage early in the fourth.

New Haven added a late touchdown and field goal to cut the margin to 28–20, but Sacred Heart slammed the door with a clock-chewing drive capped by Snyder's 34-yard touchdown run to seal the 35–20 win.

The Pioneers dominated time of possession (34:11 to 25:49) and rushed for 229 yards on 52 carries, wearing down the Chargers' defense over the course of the afternoon. Defensively, SHU held New Haven to just 102 rushing yards and forced an interception by Kymari Latney.

Up Next:
The Pioneers return to Campus Field next Saturday, Nov. 8, with a home contest against Virginia Lynchburg at 12:00 PM.