Scranton, PA – The Monroe University football team fell short in its comeback attempt against Lackawanna College on Saturday, dropping a hard-fought road contest, 44-34.
The Mustangs trailed by as much as 16 late in the first half, but rallied to lead the Falcons, 27-23, for a good portion of the third quarter. While Monroe cut the deficit to a field goal after Lackawanna regained its lead, it couldn't get the late stop.
Freshman
Zavry Ward had his best game as a Mustang with 221 passing yards and two touchdowns. As a result, redshirt sophomore
Jashaun Amin recorded 122 receiving yards, moving him into third on the program's all-time receiving yard leaderboard.
After falling behind 16-0, Ward got the Mustangs on the board with 20 seconds remaining in the half on a one-yard run. Trailing 16-6, a little trickery allowed freshman running back
Sa'eed Cole to find freshman
Diasian Noakes for a 25-yard touchdown.
While the Falcons responded with an 80-yard rushing touchdown, Monroe followed up with a long touchdown of its own as Ward found Amin for a 79-yard pass for six. Then, on the ensuing possession, sophomore
Justice Jordan returned a blocked punt to make it 27-23.
The two sides traded possessions before Lackawanna regained the lead late into the third quarter. A second consecutive score midway through the fourth pushed the lead to ten, and while redshirt sophomore
Evan Harrington cashed in on a touchdown with 4:32 remaining to make it 37-34, the Mustangs couldn't stall out Lackawanna's late drive.
The Falcons converted on 4
th and 3 to escape the one possession margin, effectively putting the game out of reach for Monroe with 48 seconds left to play.
Defensively, freshman
Browne Callanan shined with ten total tackles, while redshirt sophomore
Tavorian Copeland and freshman
Tavon Barnes were not far behind with nine total tackles. Copeland supplied three tackles for loss in the defeat.
Monroe will take on Division III No. 4 Louisburg College in a neutral site contest in Alexandria, VA, next Saturday at 3:00 pm.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE UNIVERSITY
The athletic program at Monroe University encompasses a total of 26 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as the Monroe University marching band, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has seven teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at
www.MonroeUMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (
Monroe Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (
@MonroeMustangs) and Instagram (
@monroemustangs).
