SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Senior kicker Joey Tolgyesi drilled a 34-yard attempt with one second remaining in regulation to lift the LIU Post football team past Shippensburg University, 41-39 in a non-conference shootout at Seth Grove Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 6.
 
It was an action-filled matchup throughout the day, as the team squads combined for 80 points and 863 yards of total offense. The final quarter featured 28 points with four touchdowns, one field goal, and five lead changes.
 
LIU Post scored on its final five possessions, tallying three touchdowns and two field goals to come-from-behind and down the Red Raiders. The Green and Gold took full advantage of a roughing the kicker call on 4th-and-14 with just over two minutes to play after a high snap sailed over Tolgyesi's head on a punt attempt from midfield. The penalty gave LIU Post an automatic first down, and nine plays later Tolgyesi drilled the game-winner.
 
After a scoreless first quarter, LIU Post got on the board when graduate student Chris Laviano hooked up with redshirt-senior Deon Mash for a 24-yard touchdown to pull the Pioneers within one point, 7-6. Redshirt-senior Malik Pierre pulled LIU Post within two points late in the half on a five-yard run. On the defensive side, sophomore Nazir Streater pulled down an incredible one-handed interception, a play which came in at No. 2 on Sportscenter's Top 10 Plays, late in the half to set up Tolgyesi for a 43-yard attempt as time expired to give LIU Post a 15-14 lead at the midway point.
 
Shippensburg opened the second half with two quick touchdowns, scoring on touchdown passes of 32 and 16 yards to take a 27-15 lead midway through the third quarter. Tolgyesi's second field goal of the afternoon make it a nine-point game before Laviano found redshirt-senior Michael Richardson for a 10-yard score to cut the deficit down to 27-25 through three quarters.
 
The back-and-forth action began less than two minutes into the fourth quarter when Laviano completed a 39-yard pass to redshirt-senior Michael Hartgrove to give LIU Post its first lead of the second half, 32-27. The Red Raiders responded on their next possession, however, going 75 yards on 13 plays before Raleigh Sirb muscled his way into the end zone on a five-yard carry to put Shippensburg back on top by one point.
 
LIU Post got the ball back at the midway point of the stanza and looked to have had its drive stalled at midfield before Laviano completed his fourth touchdown pass of the day to his fourth different receiver, this time finding redshirt-senior Amir Crenshaw for a 36-yard strike on 4th-and-6 with just over four minutes remaining. A two-point conversion attempt failed for the Pioneers as the Green and Gold held a 38-33 lead late. The lead lasted just 16 seconds this time for the Pioneers as the Red Raiders tallied their second 75-yard touchdown pass of the day when Josh Gontarek pulled down a jump ball on the right sideline and beat a flurry of Pioneer defenders before racing into the left side of the end zone to put Shippensburg back on top, 39-38.
 
On the Green and Gold's final possession, Laviano found Mash for a 19-yard gain to begin the drive, but the Red Raider defense stood tall and forced a loss of four yards on the next three plays to set up fourth down. Head coach Bryan Collins elected to punt on 4th-and-14 with just over two minutes remaining and all three timeouts before the Red Raiders gave LIU Post a second chance with the roughing the kicker penalty on the play. A 26-yard completion to Pierre with an 11-yard gain on the ground by the Holbrook native was all the Pioneers needed to set up the Tolgyesi game-winner.
 
Laviano finished with a season-high 39 completions, 421 yards, and four touchdowns to lead LIU Post. On the receiving end, Mash hauled in a career-best eight catches for 115 yards and one touchdown to lead 10 different receivers for the Pioneers. Pierre tallied 70 yards on the ground and added another 37 yards through the air for 107 all-purpose yards.
 
Redshirt-senior Jake Carlock compiled a team-high six tackles with one sack to lead the defensive efforts. Despite allowing 393 passing yards, the Pioneer defense held Shippensburg to zero rushing yards on 18 attempts.
 
The Pioneers return to Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium after the two road contests when they host Saint Anselm College on Saturday, Oct. 13 for homecoming. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m.