Stonehill Unveils 12-Game 2026 Football Schedule with Five Home Games

Stonehill College released its 2026 football schedule March 2, posting a 12-game slate that includes five home games at W.B. Mason Stadium, a bye on Oct. 3, and two FBS opponents in September. The Skyhawks open at home against Bryant on Aug. 29 and close the regular season at W.B. Mason Stadium vs Wagner on Nov. 21, with kickoff times listed as TBA across the schedule.

The schedule sends Stonehill on seven road trips and five home dates. After the Aug. 29 home opener vs Bryant, Stonehill plays at New Haven on Sept. 5, at New Hampshire on Sept. 12, at UMass on Sept. 19 and at Ohio on Sept. 26 before the Oct. 3 bye. The season resumes Oct. 10 at Sacred Heart, then returns home Oct. 17 vs Duquesne, travels to LIU on Oct. 24, hosts Mercyhurst on Oct. 31, hosts Central Connecticut State on Nov. 7, visits Robert Morris on Nov. 14 and finishes at home vs Wagner on Nov. 21. Times remain TBA in the posted schedule.

The UMass meeting comes with venue confirmation from the host school. “UMass will welcome Stonehill to Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Amherst, Mass., on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026,” the UMass release states, and it adds, “The game will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron.” Those back-to-back September trips to UMass and Ohio give Stonehill two FBS tests in consecutive weeks.

Conference alignment on the schedule matches Stonehill’s release language: seven NEC games and five non-conference matchups. The NEC dates are Bryant (Aug. 29), Sacred Heart (Oct. 10), Duquesne (Oct. 17), LIU (Oct. 24), CCSU (Nov. 7), Robert Morris (Nov. 14) and Wagner (Nov. 21). Non-conference opponents are New Haven, New Hampshire, UMass, Ohio and Mercyhurst.

Kevin Stone of NewEnglandFootballJournal highlighted the season-defining September run and the late-season home stretch. “The thing that obviously sticks out the most is that four-game stretch of road games early in the season. If the Skyhawks can survive that and come out, say, 2-2 at least, it should put them in good shape the rest of the way.” Stone also noted, “That also allows for three of the final four games of the season to be at home, including a potentially big one against CCSU that could have league title implications.”

A discrepancy appears in national schedule writeups on historical coaching records. One outlet lists the Skyhawks as 4-8 (3-4 NEC) in 2025 and attributes a 41-52 career record to head coach “Ed Gardner,” while Stonehill’s athletics materials and local coverage reference Eli Gardner by name. The schedule as posted by Stonehill at 3/2/2026 2:15:00 PM stands; kickoff times, broadcast details and any additional venue confirmations are not yet listed and remain TBA as of the release.