THE BASICS:
• Score: Holy Cross 38, Lafayette 28
• Records: Holy Cross 2-3, 1-0 PL; Lafayette 1-4, 0-1 PL
• Location: Fisher Field, Easton, Pa.
• The Lead: Senior wide receiver Brendan Flaherty accounted for 121 yards from scrimmage as the Holy Cross football team posted a 38-28 victory over Lafayette at Fisher Stadium.
MAN OF THE MATCH PRESENTED BY THE UNITED STATES MARINES:
• Following the contest, sophomore quarterback Geoff Wade was selected as the United States Marines Man of the Match.
• Making his first career start, Wade hit on 21 of 27 passes for 238 yards and three touchdowns.
• He also carried the ball 10 times for 29 yards, to finish with 267 yards of total offense.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
• Flaherty caught nine passes for 56 yards and a touchdown, in addition to rushing the ball 15 times for 65 yards.
• Senior wide receiver Jake Wieczorek had three receptions for 81 yards and a score, while finishing with a team-best 197 all-purpose yards.
• Senior defensive end Dewayne Cameron totaled four tackles, two quarterback sacks, a forced fumble and three quarterback hurries.
• Senior placekicker Zane Wasp scored 12 points, hitting three of four field goal attempts and all three of his extra points.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• Holy Cross opened the scoring at the 11:37-mark of the first quarter on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Wade to Wieczorek.
• Wasp then kicked field goals of 32 and 23 yards, and the Crusaders led 13-0 early in the second quarter.
• Lafayette responded just before halftime with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Blake Searfoss to Matt Mrazek, then pulled in front 14-13 in the third quarter when Searfoss and Mrazek hooked up for a 13-yard score.
• Wasp's third field goal of the day, from 41 yards, put Holy Cross back in front, before a three-yard scoring strike from Searfoss to Mrazek gave the Leopards a 21-16 advantage heading to the fourth quarter.
• Wade then threw touchdown passes of 20 yards to senior tight end Lucas Nikolaisen and seven yards to Flaherty, to give Holy Cross a 31-21 lead.
• On Lafayette's next possession, senior defensive end Ryan Smith returned a fumble eight yards for a touchdown following a strip sack by Cameron, putting the Crusaders up 38-21.
• The Leopards would conclude the scoring with a 16-yard scoring strike from Searfoss to Dylan Wadsworth in the closing minutes.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
• The Crusaders improve to 20-11 all-time in Patriot League openers, including an 8-4 mark over the last 12 years.
UP NEXT:
• Holy Cross returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 8, when it plays host to Bucknell in a 1:05 p.m. game at Fitton Field.
BE A PART OF THE ACTION:
• Tickets for the 2016 Holy Cross football season are available by calling 1-844-GOCROSS or by visiting GoHolyCross.com/tickets. Order your tickets today, to make sure you don't miss out on a minute of the action!
KEEP CONNECTED:
• To stay updated on the Holy Cross football team, follow the Crusaders on Twitter @HCrossFB and on Facebook at Holy Cross Football.
• You can also subscribe for email alerts for all news and information on the team by clicking here.
