OSSINING, N.Y. (Oct. 4, 2014) - On Saturday, the LIU Post football team wrapped up a three-game road trip with a close 44-36 victory against Pace in a Northeast-10 Conference tilt at Dorner Middle School.

Trailing 7-3 late in the first quarter, the Pioneers (3-2, 3-1 NE-10) reeled off 34 unanswered points to take a commanding 30-point lead (37-7) into halftime.

The green and gold's scoring outburst began with back-to-back three-play drives that each lasted less than 60 seconds. A minute after Pace (0-5, 0-4 NE-10) went in front by four points, red-shirt senior quarterback Steven Laurino (Boise, Idaho) connected with sophomore running back David White (Bronx, N.Y.) on a 70-yard hook-up give the visitors a three-point edge (10-7).

On the ensuing series, Laurino found senior wideout Kamron Palmer (Brooklyn, N.Y.) for a 14-yard score, making it a 17-7 game. From there, it didn't take long for the Pioneers to find the end zone again. Just nine seconds following the TD, red-shirt senior linebacker Anthony Brunetti (Bayville, N.Y.) stripped Valentino Miles (San Francisco, Calif.) of the ball, and senior defensive back Roger Hamilton (Brooklyn, N.Y.) took it back 21 yards for the score.

Laurino would later add a five-yard touchdown run, which was bookended by a pair of Karsten Viste (Randaberg, Norway) field goals, to send LIU Post into the break ahead 37-7. The latter of Viste's field-goal tries split the uprights from 35 yards out as time expired.

In the second half, the Pioneers led 44-14 more than midway through the third quarter, setting the stage for Pace's comeback. Freshman quarterback Steven Demeo (Jupiter, Fla.) threw touchdown passes in succession to Kyle Johnson (Elmont, N.Y.) and Delaney Wallace (Moorestown, N.J.) to close the gap to 44-28.

At the halfway mark of the final quarter, a Joe Roman (Staten Island, N.Y.) interception of a Matt Brennan (Sayville, N.Y.) pass turned into seven points, and brought the Setters that much closer. Demeo led a nine-play, 61-yard series that resulted in a three-yard push by Miles over the goal line. A subsequent Demeo strike to Luiz Ribeiro (White Plains, N.Y.) converted the two-point attempt and made it a one-possession contest (44-36).

For the second week in a row, LIU Post used the ground game to secure the victory. On a crucial fourth-and-one from the Pace 49, Laurino took a five-yard keeper to move the chains. Three plays later, Laurino helped out his own cause again, rushing for seven yards for a game-sealing first down.

Laurino finished 8-of-14 passing for 136 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also scampered for 62 net yards and a score. White was a key contributor on the ground as well, carrying the ball 14 times for a game-high 117 yards. 

Defensively, Brunetti led all players with 12 tackles (four TFL) and one forced fumble. In addition to his fumble recovery for a touchdown, Hamilton recorded 10 tackles (five solo, five assist). Red-shirt senior defensive lineman Dan Belfiore (Glen Cove, N.Y.) had nine tackles and a sack. Red-shirt junior linebacker Brandon Cheney (Hewlett, N.Y.) and freshman linebacker Matt Grassa (North Babylon, N.Y.) collected eight tackles apiece.

Head Coach Bryan Collins and the Pioneers are back in action next Saturday (Oct. 11), when they open up a three-game homestand against NE-10 rival Stonehill. The opening kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.