Reading, Pa. (September 18, 2026) - Alvernia University (0-2, 0-1) faces off against King's College (0-1, 0-1) Saturday afternoon for Alvernia's first home game of the season at 1:00 PM at Alvernia's Turf Field. 

The Golden Wolves come into week three after two tight losses to start the season. Alvernia dropped last week's contest to Widener, 14-10, after allowing a touchdown with one minute to play in the contest. The Golden Wolves outgained the Pride offense by over 100 yards and converted double the amount of first downs, but turnovers and miscues proved costly. 

King's is coming off a close, 26-21 setback to Stevenson and scored 14 of its 21 points in the third quarter while holding Stevenson scoreless in the second half. King's only has one game under its belt after its season opener against Wilkes was suspended due to weather. 

Scouting the Golden Wolves: 

Even though the Golden Wolves post a 0-2 overall record, they are dangerously close from being a 2-0 football team. Their week one loss to Keystone came on the final play of the game and in a tight loss to Widener last weekend, they only allowed 14 points, seven of those came off a special teams touchdown. If Alvernia is to come out on top this weekend against King's they will need to limit the special teams miscues and also find a way to finish drives, especially late in the game when they have a chance to put the game away. Although the offense has struggled at times, they are still averaging 300 total yards per game which is more than this time last season. Look for the Golden Wolves offense to explode this weekend and feed off of the energy and excitement of it being their home opener. 

Alvernia Keys to the Game: 

Lean on the Ground Game:
The Golden Wolves are averaging over 100 yards per game through the first two games of the season and have leaned heavily on veteran running backs Andrew Simmons and Adonis Dixon to carry the load. The Golden Wolves will be facing off against a King's defense that allowed 240 rushing yards to Stevenson last week and did so at an eight yard clip. If Alvernia looks to have success on the offensive side of the ball, look for it to come from the ground game first to help open up the passing game. 

Dominate the Trenches: 
The Golden Wolves need to have a big performance out of their offensive line on Saturday if they are to have success offensively against the Monarchs but not just in the run game. The Golden Wolves offensive line will be facing off against a King's defensive line that did not record a sack last week against Stevenson and only recorded two tackles for a loss. Not only does this pose an opportunity for the Golden Wolves to excel in the run game, but also in the passing game as well. If they o-line can give Sawyer Esbenshade time to find his receivers and Dixon and Simmons lanes to run through, the Alvernia offense has the opportunity to have an explosive day. 

Special Teams: 
After two missed field goals in week one and a special teams miscue that led to a scoop and score last week against Widener look for the Golden Wolves to have buttoned up the special teams side of the football heading into this week's matchup against King's. Look for Alvernia to use the third phase of the game to its advantage and maybe produce an explosive play and or scoring opportunity from the special teams unit. 

Defensive Line: 
After a week one performance where the Alvernia defensive line produced eight tackles for a loss and five sacks, they went in the opposite direction last week against Widener and only recorded one tackle for a loss. King's offensive line allowed seven tackles for a loss against Stevenson and three sacks. Look for the likes of Christian Medina, Paul Esposito, Tommy DiGregorio and more to get after the King's running backs and quarterback in the backfield to provide momentum and sparks on the defensive side of the ball. 

Alvernia Players to Watch: 

Kashantis Anderson: 
Anderson, a senior defensive back for the Golden Wolves led the Alvernia defense last week against Widener in a game where they allowed seven points and under 200 yards of total offense. Anderson led the team with nine total tackles, eight of them solos, forced a fumble, recovered that fumble and also recorded an interception. Look for Anderson to be a force on the field Saturday against the Monarchs both in stopping the run game and also in the coverage game as well. 

Michael Giordano: 
Giordano led all receivers for Alvernia last week with two catches for 44 yards. Although he only caught two passes, one of them came on a 40 yard ball down the sideline that sparked the Alvernia touchdown drive that tied the game at seven late in the third quarter. If the Golden Wolves can protect Esbenshade, look for him to find Giordano in the open spaces, which might free up the likes of Yon Anderson and Zakai Smullen on the outside. 

Adonis Dixon & Andrew Simmons: 
Simmons and Dixon have been the featured backs in the Alvernia backfield in the first two weeks of the season and are split down the middle in terms of carries and yards. Alvernia will be looking to lean on the duo against a King's team that allowed 240 yards rushing last week against Stevenson. If Alvernia can jump out to an early lead, look for them to pound the rock and chew up the clock late in the game. If they look to do so, Dixon and Simmons will be at the forefront of that. 

Yon Anderson: 
Anderson is second on the Golden Wolves in receptions with seven this season but leads Alvernia in touchdown catches with two, both of which came against Keystone in the season opener. Anderson tallied three receptions for 35 yards last week against Widener but did not catch a touchdown. Look for Anderson to break out this week against the Monarchs and provide Esbenshade with a redzone target who has proven he is capable of making plays to get into the endzone. 

Scouting the Monarchs: 

King's comes into the weekend after a five point, 26-21, loss to Stevenson last Saturday. Even in the setback, King's held the Mustangs scoreless in the second half and scored 14 points themselves to make the game interesting late in the game. The Monarchs were balanced in their offensive attack against Stevenson and recorded 176 yards through the air and 132 on the ground, with all 132 of those rushing yards coming from back Reynaldo Carter. King's also scored two of its three touchdowns via the passing game but quarterback Jaelin Mims also tossed two interceptions. 

King's Players to Watch: 

Reynaldo Carter: 
Carter proved to be the workhorse for the Monarchs in the run game in week two and ripped off an impressive 132 yards rushing on 21 attempts and punched in one touchdown. Carter tallied 6.3 yards per rush against Stevenson and also ripped off a 30 yarder in the contest. If the Monarchs don't find success in the pass game, look for them to lean on Carter in the run game. 

Joey Hebling: 
The sophomore wide receiver led the Monarchs in receiving last week with six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown, which came on a 30 yard pitch and catch from teammate Jaelin Mims. When King's looks to throw the ball, you have got to expect Mims will be looking Hebling's way and if the Golden Wolves don't cover him up, he has proven that he is capable of making plays in the pass game. 

Connor Hughes: 
Hughes leads the Monarch secondary as a first year and tallied two interceptions last weekend and also added two pass breakups. If and when the Golden Wolves head to the air, Hughes will surely make his presence known. 

Game Information: 
Kickoff is slated for 1:00 PM tomorrow on Alvernia's Turf Field.

Tickets are available online through HUDL ticketing. Tickets will also be available at the gates. 
The main ticketing gate will be between the PEC and the Campus Commons. Any spectator who purchased tickets online must enter through the main gate. 

The game will be broadcasted on Alvernia's MACTV channel with Billy Fisher and Ian Hendrix on the call.