By Justin Simon
Assistant News Editor
The Pioneers dominated this homecoming weekend, beating Saint Anselm College 37-6, improving their record to 6-0 for the season. Backed up by the first half, in which they scored 21 points, the team cruised to a decisive 31 point victory.
Saint Anselm kicked a 33-yard field goal for the first points of the game. The Pioneers responded quickly by scoring the game’s first touchdown. Graduate student quarterback Chris Laviano of the Pioneers found senior Michael Richardson wide open after Richardson returned a punt 34 yards to the Saint Anselm 44-yard line.
The Pioneers extended the lead after a touchdown scored by senior Malik Pierce. Pierce rushed into the endzone on a one-yard carry to complete a seven-play, 27-yard drive. Saint Anselm kicked an additional 44-yard field goal as time expired, making the first half score 21-6.
During halftime, all candidates of the homecoming court addressed the crowd, as the king and queen were presented on the field.
Matt Goldstein, a senior criminal justice major, and Olivia Kavanaugh, a senior art art education major, were crowned homecoming king and queen.
For Kavanaugh, this was her first homecoming. She was excited to be both an attendee and a part
of the court. “I always knew that Homecoming was one of the biggest events of the year so being a part of the tradition for Post was so humbling and incredible,” she said.
Goldstein was excited about being crowned the last king of Post. “I really enjoyed campaigning and making sure everyone voted, especially the athletic community,” he said.
When the game resumed, the Pioneer’s defense shut down Saint Anselm’s offense, leaving the latter team scoreless for the second half.
Major contributions to the defense include junior Zach Co- francesco’s team-high ten tackles, graduate student Kevin Petit-Frere’s two sacks and Nazir Streater, who picked off three interceptions.
It took 95 seconds for the Pioneers to further extend the lead as Laviano found redshirt-senior Deon Mash down the left sideline for a 48-yard touchdown strike to make it a three-possession game. Senior Joey Tolgyesi added a 31-yard field goal late in the third quarter before Richardson hauled in his third touchdown reception of the day on a seven-yard pass from Laviano during the fourth quarter.
The Pioneers will face Pace University at the Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium on Oct. 20, kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
Homecoming 2018 featured many other events for students, faculty and alumni to enjoy. The fun-filled weekend began Friday, Oct. 12 with a professor panel discussion and dinner, as well as a concert with Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. Students gathered for a pep rally at 7 p.m. on Riggs Lawn, as opposed to its usual setting in the gym.
Jack Tomlinson, a freshman physical and health education major, attended the pep rally. He believes that the event helped strengthen the student body after the recent announcement of the OneLIU athletic merger. “It’s no secret that our student body has had a lot of mixed emotions about recent events at Post,” Tomlinson said. “Which is why I think [the] pep rally came at a perfect time. We all needed that school spirit.”
The festivities continued on Saturday before the football game, with tailgates, food trucks and a carnival held in the Pratt Recreation Center parking lot. Kiernan Griffin, a sophomore art therapy major, enjoyed the occasion. “I had a lot of fun at homecoming and hanging with all my friends,” she said. “I also had a lot of fun going on all the rides and trying new foods from the trucks that were there.”
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