Worcester, Mass. (October 10) -- Led by a dominant defensive effort by preseason All-American defensive end Derrick Mann (Sharon, Mass./Sharon), the Assumption College football team evened its record at 3-3 overall with a 52-0 home shutout win over Pace University at the Multi-Sport Stadium on Friday night.

The win is the sixth straight in the all-time series with the Setters, which is now even at 11 victories each now. In addition, this marks the first home shutout win for the Hounds since a 20-0 victory over Pace in the 2010 season.

Assumption had the first scoring opportunity early in the first quarter, but the Setters came up with the block on a 47-yard field goal attempt by senior Tad Beuchert (Danvers, Mass./Saint John's). After an empty Pace possession, the Greyhounds got into the red zone for the first time behind a 49-yard rush by senior De'Ontray Johnson (San Diego, Calif./Hoover) got the hosts down to the five. After being stuffed on three straight plays, the Hounds eventually found the end zone on fourth and goal from the one after a timeout. The play went to senior defensive end Kevin Ihlefeld (Norfolk, Mass./Xaverian), who in as a running back scored from one-yard out for the 7-0 lead with 6:55 left in the first.

The Hounds added to the lead with 2:17 left in the first as junior wideout Dave Call (Springville, N.Y./Saint Francis) pulled down a 36-yard touchdown reception from junior Trevor Vasey (Cumberland, R.I./St. Raphael Academy) for the 14-0 edge. Vasey scrambled to his left on the third-and-17 play and found Call open in the end zone after Call fought off a Setter defender for the score that capped a six-play drive.

On the next Setter possession, sophomore Charles Reid (Westhampton, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) forced the game's first turnover with an interception at the 37-yard line. On second down, Vasey found senior Eddy Frazier (Worcester, Mass./Burncoat) along the back line of the end for a 22-yard touchdown as Frazier pulled the pass down between a pair of defenders. The play was the final play of the first quarter as the Hounds held the 21-0 lead after one period, outgaining the Setters 186-4 in total offense.

The second quarter started in sloppy fashion as the teams combined for three turnovers in the first 3:39 of the period, capped by an Assumption fumble near midfield that gave the Setters the ball. Neither team found the end zone in the second quarter as the two teams combined for five turnovers and 11 penalties for 95 yards, along with a 270-74 yard edge in total offense for the Hounds.

The first scoring of the third quarter came with 9:50 on the clock as Beuchert connected from 42 yards out to increase the Hounds advantage up to 24-0. Assumption added to the lead with 4:19 remaining in the third as senior Kyle Jamerson (Georgetown, Mass./Pingree School) pulled down a 33-yard touchdown pass over a Pace defender for the 31-yard score. The touchdown, Jamerson's first of the season, came after Vasey scrambled to his right under Pace's defensive pressure before finding Jamerson for the TD.

Mann picked up a Pace fumble just one minute later as he picked up a Setter miscue at the 26-yard line and returned it for his first career touchdown and the 38-0 Assumption lead. Junior running back James Ward (New Haven, Conn./Wilbur Cross/Williston Northamption) added a one-yard and 15-yard score to account for the final two scores of the game for the Hounds, en route to the 52-0 victory.

As a team, the Hounds outgained the Setters by a convincing 370-22 margin on the ground and an overwhelming 525-163 advantage in yards of total offense. Senior Matt Heriveaux (Everett, Mass./Malden Catholic) led the Hounds with a season-high 121 yards on the ground, along with a 79-yard effort by Johnson.

Vasey was 7-for-21 in the air for 155 yards and three touchdowns, while Call led the team with three receptions for 58 yards. For Pace, Brandon Tobin was 10-for-20 in the air for 88 yards, while Kyle Johnson was the game's leading receiver with six catches for 53 yards.

Defensively, freshman Chris Noesges (Freehold, N.J./Manalapan) led the Hounds with a career-high nine tackles, along with a seven-tackle effort by Mann as he also totaled three sacks, four tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries for 26 yards. As a team, the Hounds picked up six sacks and 14 tackles for loss in the win.

With the win, Assumption is 3-3 overall and 3-2 in league play, while Pace remains winless at 0-6 overall and 0-5 in the Northeast-10.

Assumption is back in action on Saturday, October 18th as the Hounds travel to Merrimack College for a 1 p.m. start in North Andover.

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