BEVERLY, Mass. – The New England Bowl Committee has announced the field for the 2023 New England Bowl Games and the UMass Dartmouth football team was among the four squads selected for competition on Saturday, November 18.

The Corsairs, who claimed a share of the MASCAC title on Saturday with a 7-1 record in conference play, will travel to Western New England next weekend for a 12pm matchup against the Golden Bears. This marks the second consecutive MASCAC title for the Corsairs, who won outright in 2022 with a perfect 8-0 conference record.

UMass Dartmouth, which has won each of its last five games, is 11-5 all-time against the Golden Bears. The Corsairs have gone 6-3 against WNE in Springfield. Western New England – who competes in the Commonwealth Coast Conference – went 7-3 overall with a 4-1 conference mark.

This marks the first meeting between the Corsairs and Golden Bears since the 2012 season. Western New England won by a 38-12 margin at home on November 3.

UMass Dartmouth heads into Saturday’s matchup with a 9-1 overall mark, The Corsairs – led by first-year head coach Josh Sylvester – are paced by senior quarterback Dante Aviles-Santos, who leads the MASCAC in passing yards and touchdowns. Through 10 games, he is 143-of-251 for a 57.0%. Aviles-Santos has thrown for 2,233 yards with a conference-best 21 TDs, while averaging 223.3 yards per game.

The rushing game has been led by graduate student Luis Gonzalez, who has carried the ball 129 times for 882 yards through 10 contests. He is averaging 6.8 yards per carry and 88.2 yards per game with 13 touchdowns. Junior Jalyn Aponte is close behind, carrying the ball 119 times for 600 yards and seven touchdowns.

Junior wide receiver Angel Sanchez leads the Corsairs passing effort, hauling in 40 catches for 811 yards. He has reached the endzone nine times and is averaging 20.3 yards per reception with 81.1 yards per game. Classmate Marvens Jean has also contributed with 39 catches for 522 yards and two scores.

The defense is led by seniors Trell Best and Jackson Wellman, both of whom have 74.0 tackles on the season. Best has recorded a team-best 38 solo tackles, including three for a loss of five yards with two interceptions to his credit, while Wellman has 37 solo tackles. Seven of his takedowns have come for a loss of 40 yards with 3.5 sacks for 25 yards, one interception, seven quarterback hurries, one fumble recovery and a forced fumble. 

As a team, the Corsairs are averaging 36.7 points per game, while limiting their opponents to 13.0 points. UMass Dartmouth is also averaging 445.7 yards of total offense, while limiting their opposition to 248.5 yards, including just 93.3 passing yards per game – which leads the nation.

In addition to the Corsairs/Golden Bears matchup, the other bowl game on Saturday is set to feature Anna Maria (5-4; 3-1 ECFC) at Salve Regina (8-2; 6-1 NEWMAC) at Toppa Field at Freebody Park for a 12pm game.

Additional information regarding tickets and the online merchandise store will be announced later this week.

Release courtesy of UMass Dartmouth Sports Information and CCC