Box Score NEW LONDON, Conn. — 

The United States Coast Guard Academy football team defeated the University of New England, 49-35, in an electric season-opening showdown at Cadet Memorial Field on Saturday. The Bears open their campaign at 1-0, while UNE starts at 0-1.

The two sides traded scores to open the game, with the Bears finding the endzone first when junior quarterback Sean Burns (Absecon, N.J.) connected with senior tight end Toby Wroe (Clearwater, Fla.) at 9:54 for the first of Wroe's eventual three touchdown catches on the day. Coast Guard took the upper hand after the Nor'easters' first six points at 6:02, but they were kept from making it seven after sophomore lineman Truman Mankowski (Madison, Wisc.) blocked the PAT kick attempt.

A 14-6 second quarter put the Bears in good position heading into halftime. Senior running back James Wheeler IV (Oneida, N.Y.) ran one in from 17 yards out, part of his 127-yard game, before UNE responded with a 58-yard rushing score of their own. The Bears clapped back with a patented trick play, which saw Burns throw a lateral pass behind the line of scrimmage to sophomore receiver Freddy Barber (Goochland, Va.), who then dialed up a 24-yard bomb to the endzone for a waiting Wroe's.

The third quarter saw the Bears outscored 6-13, with all six points coming from the leg of Caleb McClure(Canton, Ga.). UNE opened the final 15 minutes with a 23-yard field goal, that was all they'd get after sophomore defensive back Jackson Freds (San Diego, Calif.) blocked a Nor'easters punt with the visitors deep in their own territory. The deflection was then picked up by senior d-back Blake Delevan (Boiling Springs, Pa.) who powered himself to the one-yard line. Burns followed the play by running it in for the score, and the Bears followed with another trick play that saw Barber pass to Burns for the two-point conversion to set the score at 42-35 in the home team's favor.

UNE started their game-tying attempt on their own 35-yard line, and made it down to Coast Guard's 48 before junior defensive back Noah Westkott (Waterford, Conn.) ended it early with an acrobatic interception at the 20-yard line. The Bears would take the ball and turn it into seven points of insurance thanks to a 64-yard reception play for Barber. The sophomore finished his first career start with 166 receiving yards.

Bears football will hit the road next week to face Curry College.