Brooklyn, N.Y. – The Monroe College football team reached a pair of milestones in its winning game against ASA on Saturday. In addition to defeating the Avengers for the first time with a 31-19 final score, the Mustangs clinched their fifth consecutive victory for the season. Their 5-0 record is the best start in the College's history.
Monroe fell behind early as ASA scored a touchdown on their opening possession. The Mustangs were undaunted, however, and responded with 10 unanswered points in the quarter. Monroe got on the board at the 4:47 mark thanks to a 19-yard field goal from
Jared Calhoun. The Mustangs converted a couple of third downs on the drive, including a pair of completions from
Aaron Williams to
Malique Merchant (for 19 yards) and
Anthony Banks (for 13 yards) to keep the drive going.
Monroe took a 10-7 lead on the subsequent Avengers possession, when
Gerron Pendarvis picked up a fumble and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown. The Mustangs led 10-7 after the first quarter.
The lead grew to 17-7 early in the second quarter when Williams connected with
Aaron Lewis on a 78-yard catch-and-run. Monroe pushed the lead to 24-7 when
Fokom Parfait returned a punt 30-yards for a touchdown. The Mustangs' 17-point advantage came with slightly more than eight minutes remaining in the half.
ASA then took the ball on an eight-play, 79-yard scoring drive, culminating in a touchdown that brought the score to 24-14.
With neither side scoring in the third quarter, the game entered the final 15-minutes with the Mustangs ahead, 24-14. An early-fourth quarter field goal by the Avengers pulled them to 24-17.
A 23-yard pass from Williams to
Thomas Lawus capped the Monroe scoring as the touchdown made the score 31-17. They got the ball back inside of a minute remaining on their own two-yard line (thanks to an interception in the end zone from
Darrius Stokes) and Williams took a safety. The final score was 31-19 for the Mustangs.
The victory was the Mustangs' first over ASA in football.
Ryan Fulse saw his streak of 100-yard rushing games snapped as the running back managed 91 yards on the day. The Mustangs defense accounted for two picks, a touchdown and six sacks.
The unbeaten Monroe College football team returns to action on Saturday, October 8, when they host Thaddeus Stevens College. The kickoff is slated for 1:30 PM.
