FAIRFIELD, CONN. (Aug. 30, 2025) – The Stonehill football team nearly pulled out the road victory at Sacred Heart, before falling 12-7 to the Pioneers in the season opener at Campus Field Saturday afternoon. The Skyhawks move to 0-1, while the Pioneers are 1-0 on the early season.
Highlights
- This contest marked Stonehill's ever game played in the month of August.
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- Charles Battaglia paced Stonehill with nine tackles on defense. The Skyhawks finished with 5.0 tackles for a loss.
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- Richard Mosley III had an interception in the third quarter.
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- Jack O'Connell passed for 212 yards, completing 30-of-39 passes, including 21 in the second half alone. The 30 completions is tied for fifth most in a single game in program history and the most since 2017.
How it Happened
In a scoreless first half, the Skyhawks held the Pioneers to 1-of-3 on 4th down conversions, including a key break up by
Trevon Baxter in the second quarter. O'Connell completed 9-of-12 passes in the first half for 56 yards, with
Brigham Dunphy (four catches, 18 yards) being his favorite target in the first 30 minutes.
In the third, the Pioneers got on the scoreboard first when Myles Hamilton tackled
Jarel Washington in the endzone for a safety, 2-0, at the 7:09 mark. Following the ensuing kick, Sacred Heart added to its lead with a nine-yard TD rush by Chuck Webb with 5:40 to go in the frame, 9-0.
Heading into the fourth, following a 33-yard completion from O'Connell to Washington putting the Skyhawks into the red zone, O'Connell found
Zachary Kim for a 10-yard touchdown reception with 13:39 to play, bringing Stonehill within two, 9-7.
Later in the quarter, Sacred Heart's Matt Kling knocked a 29-yard field goal to five the Pioneers a 12-7 edge with 6:24 remaining.
In the final drive of the game, Stonehill marched down to the Sacred Heart 8-yard line but could not complete the comeback in the final seconds of the contest.
Up Next
Stonehill (0-0, 0-0 NEC) will host Lafayette (0-1) in the Skyhawks' home opener next week on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 1 p.m. at W.B. Mason Stadium.
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