PAXTON, Mass – With a month left until the start of the football season, Head Coach Dan Mulrooney and the AMCATS have released their 2018 schedule. With just three home games and six ECFC conference games on the slate and nearly 90 incoming freshman reporting to camp, the 'Cats are looking to improve in Mulrooney's second season at the helm. The schedule features the usual ECFC suspects and the addition of a non-conference matchup with Western New England at the beginning of the season.
The AMCATS open with a home game against WPI at 7pm on Friday August 31st. From there, the team will take to the road for three weeks with matchups against Nichols, Curry and Western New England before returning home to begin conference play against Gallaudet on Homecoming weekend. In October the 'Cats will play three games, on the road against Castleton and Husson and then return home for the final home game of the season is on Saturday October 27th against Maritime (N.Y.) which will also be Senior Day. The team will close out the season with ECFC matchups against Alfred State, who they beat last year, and close out the regular season against Dean College in Franklin, Mass.
Coach Mulrooney bolstered the schedule this year with the matchups against Western New England, WPI and Curry as all three of the teams have been named to the New England Division III football preseason poll by Noontime Sports, coming in at numbers four, six and nine respectively. ECFC foe Husson was named number five on that list.
"As a Program we want to face the best teams in New England. Said Mulrooney. "Our 2018 schedule is our most challenging in our short history. We are playing a 10 game schedule in 2018 and out of the 10 teams, five (5) of the teams we are playing were in the postseason in the previous year. Western New England and Husson both competed in the NCAA playoffs while WPI, SUNY Maritime and Curry played in post season bowl games. This will be a great challenge for us every week and we are excited to compete against these respected programs." Added Mulrooney.
The AMCATS open preseason camp in early August and are expecting close to 140 players, returners and newcomers to report.
For more information on the team's schedule, roster, direction to AMCAT field and how you can help the program by becoming a part of the AMCAT Club head over to goamcats.com and make sure to follow the football team on Twitter at @AMCAT_Football.