Football Set For Homecoming Game Against New Haven

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College football team is returning home. 

After one month on the road, head football coach Mike Gennetti and the Warriors return to Duane Stadium for their annual Homecoming game as part of Homecoming, Reunion & Alumni Weekend at Merrimack College.

Merrimack (1-3) will host the University of New Haven on Saturday with kickoff set for 1 p.m. 

You can buy your tickets to the Homecoming game here.

 "We're excited to be back home this week for homecoming," Gennetti said. "Homecoming has always been a special event at Merrimack, and with football being the marquee event, it only adds to the excitement. It's always tough to be on the road for three weeks, especially with the distances we've been traveling, but the guys have handled it great and will be ready on Saturday."

The Warriors are coming off a contest in which they were put to the test against fourth-ranked Tarleton State. It marked Merrimack's third game this season against a team rooted in the FBS (Delaware) or a team ranked in the top-10 in FCS (Rhode Island, Tarleton State).

The Chargers (1-3), who are in the midst of their second season in Division I, are a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC). New Haven, which defeated Marist 22-21 in its season opener, enters the matchup against Merrimack having lost three straight games.

New Haven quarterback AJ Duffy has proven to be a key factor for the Chargers. Duffy has surpassed 3,000 passing yards during his college career with previous stops at Florida State and San Diego State. 

"New Haven is a good football team," Gennetti said. "I think coach Powell does a great job preparing his team. They're disruptive on defense and do a really good job schematically on offense."

The Warriors have shown positive signs in each of their matchups this season. Against the Texans in Stephenville, Texas, AJ Hairston Jr. threw for a season-best 214 passing yards with a career-best three passing touchdowns. He connected with wide receiver Austin Palmer for a pair of first-half touchdowns before he hit Cooper Lehman on a third-quarter strike.

Merrimack's defense also put together an admirable first half at Tarleton. The Warriors outgained the Texans during that first half and limited the high-powered offense to a mere seven rushing yards.

The Warriors and Chargers have met 11 times in program history, with the latter having the edge (8-3). 

Kickoff from Duane Stadium is set for 1 pm Saturday.