By Thomas Scavetta
Assistant Sports Editor
Coming off a heart-breaking defeat last week, the football team’s struggles continued as they lost to Northeast-10 Conference arch-rival American International College, 44-17, in a rematch of last year’s conference championship game, Saturday, Oct. 3, at Abdow Field in Springfield, M.A.
In the early moments of the second quarter, junior quarterback, Jeff Kidd, hoisted a 40-yard touchdown pass to red-shirt junior wide receiver, Shane Hubbard, hauling in his fifth touchdown of the season. The score put the Pioneers (3-2) ahead 7-6, but from that point on, things went downhill for the Green and Gold.
The Yellow Jackets (2-3) went on a scoring tear, as they tallied 24 unanswered points. Nothing went right for LIU, as Kidd threw two pick-sixes and the defense fell flat, giving up a 74-yard touchdown run putting the hosts in front 30-7 at halftime.
As the second half began, AIC continued to dominate and carried the momentum for the remainder of the contest. Turnovers and miscues cost the Pioneers, handing them their second straight defeat.
Head Coach Bryan Collins and the Pioneers return home Saturday, Oct. 10, to square off against Merrimack College. The Pioneers will host their annual Homecoming at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium in Brookville, N.Y. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
“Homecoming is always great at LIU Post. The University does a great job in making it a special week,” Collins said.
Up until Saturday, all the Pioneer games have been decided by single digits, which goes to show how competitive the NE-10 is. “Merrimack is an aggressive and talented team with playmakers on both sides of the ball,” Collins said. “We need to win the third down battle on both sides of the ball and play good situational football.”
Collins also stated how Merrimack quarterback, Nick Davis, is a dual threat, so they need to make their offense more one-dimensional. “It’s great to play in such a festive atmosphere and in front of the alumni,” Collins added.
A couple of players shared their thoughts on Saturday’s game against Merrimack. “This game
is more important than regular games,” said Hubbard. “We need to make big plays and take care of business.”
Red-shirt senior linebacker, Brandon Cheney, filled in. “Saturday’s Homecoming game against Merrimack is huge and very meaningful,” Cheney said. “We need to go all out and give 100 percent because we suffered a devastating loss to them last year.”
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