NEW BRITAIN, CONN. – Arsheen Jiles' interception in the waning minutes of Saturday night's game sealed the victory for the Sacred Heart University football team. The Pioneers went on the road to defeat Central Connecticut State, 14-10, in the Northeast Conference opener for both teams at Arute Field.

Records:
Sacred Heart: 1-1, 1-0 NEC
Central Connecticut State: 0-2, 0-1 NEC

Top Performers:
Malik Grant (SHU) 109 rushing yards, 25 carries, 1 TD
Keven Peprah (SHU): 8 tackles, 3 TFL
Rayshad Wallace (SHU): 7 tackles, 3 TFL

Up Next:
The Pioneers are on the road next week to face Morgan State at 12 p.m.

Of Note:
After Central Connecticut took its first lead in the third quarter, the Pioneers answered on the ensuing drive. Quarterback Rob McCoy accounted for 41 yards, including a 14-yard score.
 
SHU took over with six minutes left in the fourth quarter, but coughed up the ball two plays later. The Blue Devils worked their way down to the five-yard line. On second and goal, Jiles dove in front of a Romelo Williams pass to seal the victory.
 
Sacred Heart got on the board first thanks to good field position as Rob DiNota brought the ball to the CCSU 35-yard line. Malik Grant capped the 10-play scoring drive when plunged in from two-yards out.
 
Just before halftime, a penalty negated a Blue Devil touchdown as the hosts had to settle for a field goal. Central grabbed its first lead in the third quarter as a SHU penalty kept the drive alive and Nasir Smith scored on a one-yard run.
 
SHU's defense came up with another good performance, limiting the Blue Devils to 254 yards of total offense. CCSU had a decided 34:25-to-25:35 advantage in time of possession.