WEST HAVEN, Conn. - The 10th-ranked LIU Post football team held off the University of New Haven as a last-second 27-yard field goal attempt missed wide left by mere inches securing the 35-34 road victory in the opener of Northeast-10 conference play at DellaCamera Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
After the Chargers (1-1) struck first with a 25-yard field goal, the Pioneers (2-0) capped off a 65-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run by redshirt-junior running back
Malik Pierre (Holbrook, N.Y.).
New Haven took the lead back with back-to-back touchdowns to start the second quarter (17-7), but a 16-yard strike by senior quarterback
Yianni Gavalas (Manhasset, N.Y.) found redshirt-freshman
Derick Eugene (Westbury, N.Y.) to bring the visitors back within three. Danny Stock's 29-yard field goal as time expired extended the UNH lead back to six heading into the intermission.
Both sides opened the second-half with a touchdown and the score in favor of the home squad 27-21, before the green and gold took its first lead since 7-3 when Gavalas linked up with redshirt-junior
Deon Mash (Brooklyn, N.Y.) for a score that capped off a five-play, 56-yard drive to open the fourth quarter.
The next two drives resulted in seven points for the two sides giving the Pioneers a one-point advantage (35-34) with 4:07 left to play giving the Chargers plenty of time to march down the field and win the game. They would just nearly do that as they managed to make it all the way to the LIU Post nine yard line with three seconds left, setting the stage for a potential walk-off field goal. Fortunate for the Pioneers, Stock missed the kick by a few inches to the left, giving LIU Post its first win at UNH since Oct. 12, 2002 when the then 18th-ranked Pioneers shutout the Chargers 20-0.
Gavalas finished 41-of-54 for an astounding 405 yards, four TDs and no interceptions. Pierre led with 10 receptions for 96 yards, adding 24 yards on the ground. Eugene also hauled in double-digit catches as his 11 receptions led to 90 yards in the air.
On defense, redshirt-junior defensive back
Kasim Thomas (Bronx, N.Y.) was the only one on either side to record at least 10 tackles (5s,5a).
The Pioneers return to action at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 16 when they host Stonehill for a 1 p.m. kickoff.