NEWPORT, R.I. (October 31, 2026) -- Salve Regina University snapped a three-game skid with a dominant 34-6 win over visiting Norwich University on Saturday afternoon in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action at Toppa Field in sunny Newport, Rhode Island.
Junior defensive lineman
Jack Mead (Manasquan, N.J.) totaled seven tackles with four sacks (including two strip sacks) for minus-36 yards.
The Seahawks (5-3, 2-3 NEWMAC) built a 34-0 lead on three rushing touchdowns, two field goals, and a 64-yard pass play. The teams exchanged five first-quarter punts and a turnover on downs before senior quarterback
Padraig Brown (Newington, Conn.) capped a six-play drive for the Seahawks with a one-yard burst into the end zone.
Matthew Bishop's (Newington, Conn.) blocked punt set the Seahawks up for their next score and
Michael LaRusso (Congers, N.Y.) carried the ball once from four yards out to increase the lead.
Nathan DiRado (Carver, Mass.), who made all four PAT kicks today (and 28-of-29 on the season, kicked his first of two field goals (23 yards) on the afternoon for a 17-0 score at halftime.
Salve Regina doubled its output in the second half with DiRado opening the scoring with a 26-yard field goal on the first Seahawk possession that finished a 9-play, 52-yard drive. The next score had only one completed pass, but it was an 11-yard strike from Brown to
Jake Brilliant (Marshfield, Mass.) for a first down on 4th-and-6 from the visitor 31 to their 20. LaRusso had three carries for 21 yards, Brown one for four yards, and
Crisean Williams (Greenville, N.C.) had two carries for 10 yards, the second a seven-yard gain for paydirt.
On the first Seahawk drive of the fourth quarter, LaRusso had a pair of rushes for a first down and then Brown went downtown to
Michael Fulton (Milton, Mass.) for a 64-yard touchdown.
Norwich (3-5, 1-4 NEWMAC) spoiled the shutout when
Landon Beecher (Holliston, Mass.) tossed a three-yard pass that bounced off the hands of Seahawk defenders before landing in the arms of
Anderson Guerrero (Boston, Mass.) for a touchdown.
NSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Salve Regina 34, Norwich 6
Records: Salve Regina (5-3, 2-3Â NEWMAC), Norwich (3-5 , 1-4 NEWMAC)
History: Salve Regina and Norwich meet for the eight time on the gridiron. The Seahawks own a 7-1 mark in the all-time series which included three straight shutouts from 2021 to 2023 (38-0, 7-0, 38-0). The first-ever meeting was the 2014 ECAC Bowl Game won by the Seahawks, 48-21. At Toppa Field, the Cadets scored their only victory in the series (22-19 in 2019) and "held" the Seahawks to a 7-0 score in 2022 while failing on a two-point conversion attempt in the 2024Â season finale to fall, 31-30.
SUMMARY
- 1st | 02:41 | SRU - Padraig Brown 1 yd run (Nathan DiRado kick), 6 plays, 44 yards, TOP 3:42 | SEAHAWKS 7, CADETS 0
- 2nd | 13:06 | SRU - Michael LaRusso 4 yd run (Nathan DiRado kick), 1 plays, 4 yards, TOP 0:02 | SEAHAWKS 14, CADETS 0
- 2nd | 08:57 | SRU - Nathan DiRado 23 yd field goal 5 plays, 35 yards, TOP 2:13 | SEAHAWKS 17, CADETS 0
- 3rd | 09:46 | SRU - Nathan DiRado 26 yd field goal 9 plays, 52 yards, TOP 3:37 | SEAHAWKS 20, CADETS 0
- 3rd | 02:24 | SRU - Crisean Williams 7 yd run (Nathan DiRado kick), 9 plays, 46 yards, TOP 3:42 | SEAHAWKS 27, CADETS 0
- 4th | 11:04 | SRU - Michael Fulton 64 yd pass from Padraig Brown (Nathan DiRado kick) 4 plays, 72 yards, TOP 2:03 | SEAHAWKS 34, CADETS 0
- 4th | 09:26 | NORWICH - Anderson Guerrero 3 yd pass from Landon Beecher (Zack Zegarra kick failed) 4 plays, 36 yards, TOP 1:30 | SEAHAWKS 34, CADETS 6
NOTEWORTHY
- Nathan DiRado went 2-for-2 in field goals (23, 26) and 4-for-4 on PAT kicks.
- Michael LaRusso netted 117 yards on the ground on 23 carries.
- Jack Mead's four sacks totaled minus-36 yards.
- Six different Seahawks made catches led by Matthew Daly (Fair Lawn, N.J.) with three receptions.
ON THE HORIZON
Salve Regina plays at Coast Guard next Saturday on FloCollege with a noon kickoff in New London, Connecticut.
