Football Notches Program Record 14th-Consecutive Victory at SCSU

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The LIU Post football team set a new program record with its 14th-consecutive victory on Saturday, Nov. 3, taking down Southern Connecticut State University, 24-13 at Jess Dow Field. The Pioneer win streak bests the previous mark of 13 wins set during the 1993-94 and 2015-16 seasons. The win marks the fourth 9-0 start in program history as well, happening most recently during the 2016 season. Graduate student quarterback Chris Laviano finished 17-for-28 passing for 228 yards and two touchdowns. Redshirt-seniors Malik Pierre, Michael Richardson, and Michael Hartgrove finished with over 60 receiving yards each, with Pierre hauling in a team-high seven receptions. Richardson found the end zone twice on the day, including a 40-yard strike late in the first quarter. On the ground, redshirt-freshman Jonathan DeBique broke the century mark for the first time in his career, compiling 114 yards on 21 carries, averaging over five yards per attempt. Pierre added a rushing touchdown and 54 rushing yards as the Green and Gold totaled 162 yards on the ground. Senior Connor Farrell led LIU Post with 15 total tackles, the highest single-game total for the Pioneers this season. Junior D'Wayn Reid posted the lone sack of the day, taking down Owls quarterback Matthew Sapere for a seven-yard loss. The first eight drives of the game netted seven punts and one turnover on downs before LIU Post took over at the Southern Connecticut 40-yard line following a short punt by the Owls. On the first play of the drive, Laviano found Richardson for the game's first touchdown and Richardson's eighth touchdown of the season. The Green and Gold looked to double its lead before halftime when it compiled a 19-play, 93-yard drive but was stalled inside the 10-yard line, resulting in a 20-yard field goal by senior Joey Tolgyesi to put the Pioneers ahead 10-0 at the half. Forcing a three-and-out on the first possession of the third quarter, the Pioneers took over at their own 40-yard line. After two first downs, DeBique broke off a 27-yard rush before being shoved out of bounds at the one-yard line, setting up Pierre on the doorstep for a one-yard touchdown rush to put the Green and Gold ahead by three possessions. The 17-0 score carried into the final stanza until the Owls found the end zone on a one-yard run by Vochan Fowler to cap off a 14-play drive. Southern Connecticut cut into the lead a bit more midway through the quarter on a 27-yard run by Eli Parks with 8:33 remaining, but the Pioneer offense iced the victory on their final possession. Driving 75 yards on 15 plays Laviano found Richardson with a 15-yard touchdown strike for the game's final points and the 24-13 final score. With the LIU Post victory and a 49-21 win by the University of New Haven against Saint Anselm College, the Pioneers and Chargers will face off in a Northeast-10 Conference championship game at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 10. Kickoff is slated for 12:00 p.m. and a full preview of the matchup can be found on www.liupostpioneers.com next week.