WALTHAM, Mass. – After using a number of key defensive plays to claim a 15-13 Homecoming win over Southern Connecticut State, the Bentley University Falcons will need another strong defensive effort when they travel to North Andover to take on Merrimack College Saturday afternoon. Kickoff at Mejail-Martone Field is slated for 1 pm.

Bentley, 1-2 overall and 1-1 Northeast-10, will be looking to square its record at .500 and win its second straight. Merrimack, on the other hand, will be attempting to end a four-game slide that started with a 30-7 loss to the Falcons during last year's Northeast-10 championship weekend.

The Falcon defense, which used three fumble recoveries and its second blocked extra point of the season to prevail over Southern, will be tested by Merrimack. Despite still being in search of win number one, the Warriors (0-3, 0-1 NE-10) have outscored Bentley to date, 81-56, and average 255 passing yards a game.

On the other hand, coach Bill Kavanaugh's team is second in the Northeast-10 in scoring defense, with its 23.3 average more than eight points less than the Warriors' 31.7.

Against Southern, grad student and linebacker Evan Mattern (San Diego, Calif./Rancho Bernardo HS) had a standout performance, one that earned him Defensive Player of the Year accolades in the Northeast-10. Mattern forced two fumbles on strip sacks, a fumble recovery to set up a score in the first quarter and another caused fumble that was recovered by the Owls.

Mattern's two forced fumbles in the second quarter were recovered by senior defensive linemen Paul Norris (North Attleboro/North Attleboro HS) and Quincy Giles (Indianapolis, Ind./ Cathedral HS). The defensive effort also included a blocked extra point by sophomore Dan Catalano (North Reading/Austin Prep HS) and nine tackles from junior linebacker Bryan Hardy (Barnstable/Barnstable HS), who'll be returning to a field where he finished 2014 with a career-best 19 stops.

Senior Matt Montalto (West Yarmouth/Dennis-Yarmouth Reg. HS), in his first season as Bentley's starting QB, posted his second straight game with two TD passes. Included was a 16-yarder to senior Chris Calvanese (Norfolk/Xaverian Bros. HS), a play after the two teamed up on a 44-yarder to get into the red zone.

Third in the conference in passing yards per completion, Montalto has thrown for 518 yards while completing 55 percent of his aerials.

Calvanese and tight end Alex Farkes (Boston/BB&N), the team's leading receivers, have each caught multiple passes in every game so far. Calvanese leads the squad with 12 catches for 182 yards and Farkes has 10 for 133.

Junior Tyler Ford (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan HS) has been a weapon for the Falcons with his 43.8 punting average fourth best in Division II. Of his 14 kicks, nine have been inside the 20.

Hardy, four tackles away from 150 for his career, leads the Falcons with 27 stops, nine more than both senior corner Emmitt Smith (Derry, N.H./Pinkerton Academy) and sophomore linebacker Brandon Brown (Oxon Hill, Md./Suitland HS). The Falcons' only interception through the first three games belongs to junior Sam McDonald (Norfolk/King Philip Reg. HS).

Merrimack is coming off a 36-29 loss to Assumption, a game in which both teams exceeded 500 yards in total offense and the Greyhounds scored the final 13 points. The receiving corps of Cody Demers and Jere Brown were outstanding with the two combining for 19 catches and each amassing at least 150 yards.

For the season, they rank second and third in the NE-10 in receiving yards with Brown having 276 and Demers 263.

Joe Capobianco is expected to remain Merrimack's starting QB, although Nick Davis was effective in relief against Assumption. He completed 13 of 22 with two TD passes and also rushed for 67 yards. Capobianco has thrown for 505 yards, four TDs and three interceptions while completing just over half his throws.      

Bentley is 13-9 all-time against Merrimack after the two split last season with each winning on the opponents' home turf.  Falcon junior Sean Myers (Foxboro/Roxbury Latin School), quiet so far this fall, caught 11 passes for 164 yards and on TD against the Warriors in 2014. McDonald had two interceptions, Norris made three sacks and Hardy totaled 27 tackles.

The Merrimack game is the first of two in a row for the Falcons, who'll begin October with a Friday night contest at Pace.