GAMEDAY CENTRAL: Stonehill Looks to Rebound Against Merrimack at W.B. Mason Stadium Friday Night

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Complete Week Four Game Notes (PDF)

  Coach's Corner with Rob Talley: Merrimack Preview
  Player Profile: Senior RB Eddie Vachon

The Game: Stonehill College returns home for two-straight home games starting with a Northeast-10 Conference matchup with Merrimack College at Timothy J. Coughlin Memorial Field at W.B. Mason Stadium tonight. The Skyhawks look to bounce back from a 14-12 setback at American International College in the NE-10 opener for both in Springfield last Saturday. The Warriors seek their first win of the season following road losses to Slippery Rock University and Bryant University (46-29) last Saturday. Tonight marks Stonehill's second and final Friday night game of the season.

Media Info: Live video of tonight's game is available on a pay-per-view basis ($6.99) via www.stonehillskyhawks.tv. Charlie Bergeron, the voice of the Skyhawks, returns for his 13th season ofbroadcasting the action powered by Pack Network. WSHL 91.3 FM will also be broadcasting the game with Craig Riotto and Nick Toyas calling the action for the radio broadcast. Merrimack isalso providing an audio only webcast with Brett Connolly calling the play-by-play via www.merrimackathletics.com.

The Series: Tonight marks the 15th meeting all-time betweenthese two programs. Merrimack holds a 9-5 advantage in the series which dates back to 1996, having won each of the last two encounters, including a 42-21 triumph in North Andover, Mass., last fall. It marked the first time the home team had won in the series since a 25-0 Merrimack victory in 1999. The Skyhawks have never defeated the Warriors at home, dropping all seven home contests in the series to date, including an 0-2 mark here at W.B. Mason Stadium. Merrimack posted a 21-16 victory here the last time it visited in 2008. Head Coach Robert Talley is 1-2 in his career against the Warriors.

He's Honored: Sophomore linebacker Jonathan Poth (Nahant, Mass.) was named to the Northeast-10 Conference's weekly honor roll on Monday following his defensive effort at American International on Saturday. Poth posted a game- and career-high 14 tackles (seven solo) on the afternoon, helping limit the Yellow Jackets to 160 yards passing.

What a Rush: Senior running back Eddie Vachon (Newton, Mass.) continues to lead the Northeast-10 (ranking third nationally in Division II) in rushing with 145.0 yards per game. The only running back in the NE-10 averaging over 100 yards per game through three weeks, Vachon has carried the ball 67 times for 435 yards (6.5/carry) and four touchdowns. He also ranks second in the NE-10 for scoring (10.0 ppg), is fourth in all-purpose yards (160.7/gm) and is ninth in total offense (145.0).

Coach's Corner: www.stonehillskyhawks.com, the official website of Stonehill athletics will have weekly interviews with head coach Rob Talley throughout the season. Coach Talley will recap the previous week's game every Tuesday and then there will be a preview of the coming week's game each Thursday or Friday. Each interview is approximately ten minutes long and will give fans an inside look at each game this season. There will also be regular interviews with Skyhawks student-athletes as well.

On Deck: The Skyhawks are home again next Saturday when they host the University of New Haven as part of a busy Alumni Weekend schedule here at Stonehill. On Friday night, Stonehill Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2010 will be inducted, including former football standout Brian Driscoll, '91.

Getting Social: Fans and media members of Stonehill athletics now have two social media outlets to get updates on all 20 varsity programs. Thedepartment launched its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/stonehillskyhawks at the end of August and you can also follow @SkyhawkTalk on Twitter!

Leaders of the Pack: For the second-straight year, Stonehill College is partnering with Pack Networks toprovide live "Packcasts" of all home football and men's and women's basketball games along with other select athletic events. Fans can access the webcasts via www.stonehillskyhawks.tv. Viewers can opt to purchase single-game passes for $6.99 or purchase an "All-Access" pass for $59.99, however Skyhawks Fans who sign up for an All-Access pass before October 1 will receive a $10 discount. All-Access pass members can view all Stonehill webcasts for the entire year, while also gaining access to the archives and be able to watch the webcasts at any time.