David Otero
Sports Editor
On Saturday, October 13, the LIU Post football team lost its fourth consecutive game to start the season against the West Chester University Golden Rams (5-2) by a final score of 41-6. The big story of the game was West Chester’s junior running back Ron¬dell White. On the ground, the play maker had 28 carries for 167 yards and one touchdown, as well as six receptions for 176 yards and three more touchdowns.
Unfortunately for the Pioneers (2-4), the trend of scoring fewer points each week continued against the Golden Rams as the Pioneers scored only six points. The only points came early in the second quarter when sophomore quarterback Steven Laurino lofted a beautifully thrown ball to junior running back Anthony Brunetti for a 13-yard touchdown pass. The following extra point was unsuccessful, making the score 7-6 in favor of the Golden Rams. It seemed impossible at the time that the Golden Rams would be able to rattle off 34 unanswered points…but the team did just that.
The Golden Rams, led by White and senior quarterback Mike Mattei, made quick work of the Pioneers’s struggling defense. On the afternoon, White had a ca¬reer-high343 all-purpose yards, good enough to be fourth all-time for West Chester University in a single game. White showed quick bursts, as well as the ability to shake off defenders with ease. It took more than an arm tackle to bring down this shifty back. Although completing below 50 percent of his passes, Mattei managed the game efficiently, not turning the ball over and passing four touchdowns.
For the third time in his last four games, Laurino passed for less than 200 yards. Against the Rams, he was 22-35 for 189 yards and one touchdown. Yet again, there was not much to get excited about on the offensive side of the ball. Brunetti led the team in rushing on 14 carries for 49 yards. Junior running back Jeff Mack had six carries for 33 yards. Junior wide receiver Joe Botti led the teamwith85 yards receiving on five catches.
One of the strengths all year for this Pioneers team has been the play of the special teams unit. However, even this group had its difficulties against a solid team like West Chester. Freshman kicker Tim Sternfeld had two kickoffs booted out of bounds, and missed an extra point attempt. In addition, on the initial kickoff to open the second half, sophomore defensive back Devon Levesque coughed up the ball to give the Rams great starting field position. If that was not enough, the Rams also blocked a punt during the game.
For the first time this season, the Pioneers lost the turnover differential. The Pioneers fumbled the ball twice and turned the ball over on downs twice. Meanwhile, the Rams were nearly flawless and turned the ball over on downs once.
LIU Post will look to rebound from the stinging, blow¬out loss against West Chester University as the Pioneers’ next game is Homecoming against Millersville University (2-5) on Saturday, October 20. Tune into 88.1 FM or WCWP.org to hear all the game coverage. Pre-game is at 12:30 p.m. and kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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