NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., September 10, 2022 – The Monroe College Mustangs football team fell in its home opener at Joseph F. Fosina Field by a score of 28-13 to No. 13-ranked Lackawanna College Saturday afternoon. The Mustangs fall to 0-2 on the season with the loss, while the Falcons improve to 2-0.
 
The Mustangs held an early lead with a pair of first-half field goals, but the Falcons scored a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to go up for good. A third-quarter score for Lackawanna made it a 14-point difference, but the Mustangs came right back and scored to get back within seven. The Falcons scored once more in the third to go up by eight, which proved to be the final score of the game.
 
Quarterback Mason Boothe finished 18-for-36 for 196 yards in the game. Ernest Blackshear rushed 13 times for 47 yards and a score. Jessie Parson had a big debut for the Mustangs, making eight receptions for 130 yards.
 
On defense, Quentin Hunter-Colvin led the team with six tackles on the afternoon. Nareece Wright totaled five tackles, while also recovering a fumble. Xavier Marquez matched Wright with five tackles and a fumble recovery, while also adding two tackles for loss for a total of 14 yards. Dayshawn Coleman also had a pair of tackles for loss as part of his four total tackles. Nazaiah Paul and Tyee Martin Jr. each registered a pass breakup in the game, while Martin also forced the game's first fumble.

Lackawanna quarterback Barry Brown completed just 6-of-16 pass attempts for 27 yards and a touchdown in the game. Terez Worthy rushed for 56 yards and a score on four carries. Brown rushed seven times himself for 54 yards and a score.
 
The Mustangs opened the game with a long, methodical drive, after a Shawan Gresham 36-yard kick return put Monroe on Lackawanna's 49-yard line. Ernest Blackshear immediately broke off a 14-yard run on first down, and later had an 11-yard rush to make it third-and-short on Lackawanna's 18-yard line. A pass interference on the next play put Monroe on the three-yard line, but the Falcons were able to stuff the Mustangs there. Sebastian Aranda connected on a 20-yard field goal to put the Mustangs up by three after a 12-play, 47-yard drive that totaled nearly 11 minutes.
 
Lackawanna threatened on its first drive after Brown scrambled for 33 yards to get down to Monroe's 24. The Mustangs held there, seeing the Falcons go for it on fourth-and-six from the 20-yard line. Brown was chased backwards by the Mustangs, forcing him to check down to Worthy, who was immediately wrapped up by Xavier Marquez for a huge 11-yard loss and a turnover on downs.
 
Late in the first, Lackawanna had the ball again in their own territory. Brown completed a third-down pass to Dewayne Johnson, but it was jarred loose by Martin and recovered by Marquez, who returned it to Lackawanna's 15-yard line. The Mustangs were stymied on the drive, but Aranda made a 29-yard field goal to put Monroe up by six shortly into the second quarter.
 
Worthy gave the Falcons a big boost to start their next drive with a 52-yard kickoff return to Monroe's 40. A 12-yard pass later in the drive from Brown to Worthy put the Falcons on Monroe's eight. Two plays later, Brown hooked up with Justin Thompson for an eight-yard score to tie the game, but the extra point was no good, leaving the game knotted up at 6-6.
 
The Mustangs looked to punt the ball away midway through the second quarter, but the snap came in low, preventing the punter from getting the kick off and getting taken down for a big loss, setting up the Falcons on Monroe's 18-yard line, but a penalty moved the Falcons up to the nine. Two plays later, Jordan Sellers rushed it in for a two-yard touchdown for the Falcons. The extra point was once again missed, leaving Lackawanna on top, 12-6. The Falcons took that score into the halftime break.
 
The Falcons got back on the board quickly in the third quarter. Worthy had a big 36-yard run on second down, and then followed that up with a 17-yard scamper for the score. Brown was then able to rush it in for a two-point conversion, making it a 20-6 game.
 
Monroe started the ensuing drive on its own 20. On second down, Boothe hit Ethan Hilliman for 13 yards. Two plays later, Blackshear took off for 15 yards to get into Lackawanna territory. A pass interference on Lackawanna put Monroe on the 29, and then Boothe made it goal-to-go after a 24-yard completion to Parson. After a personal foul put Monroe on the goal line, Blackshear plunged in for the score, getting Monroe back within seven at 20-13.
 
Special teams once again gave the Falcons a big advantage, with James Westry returning a short kickoff 69 yards to Monroe's five-yard line. It took four plays, but Brown was able to rush it in on fourth down after keeping it on an option play. Brown connected with Justin Thompson on the two-point conversion attempt, putting the Falcons up, 28-13.
 
The Mustangs responded with a long drive, totaling 66 yards on 13 plays, but they were held on Lackawanna's six-yard line without putting points on the board. Late in the fourth, Lackawanna had a bad snap on second down that was recovered by Wright and returned for 16 yards to Lackawanna's 36, giving Monroe a chance to score with time running low. Boothe hit Parson for 22 yards down to Lackawanna's 14, but the Mustangs were unable to get much going from there, resulting in another turnover on downs to effectively end the game.
 
The Mustangs outgained the Falcons on offense with 238 total yards compared to 175 for Lackawanna. The Mustangs also had 19 first downs, while the Falcons had just 14.
 
The Mustangs will hit the road on Saturday, Sept. 17, looking to pick up their first win of the season when they take on Div. III No. 2 Nassau Community College in Garden City, N.Y. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 35 teams competing across nine sports. There are 21 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well the Monroe College marching band and the newly added esports and men's volleyball programs, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 11 teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
 
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs). Read Full Article