BOX SCORE

WAYNE, N.J. – After scoring the game's first 10 points, William Paterson (1-2, 0-2 NJAC) was unable to hold Montclair State (2-2, 2-0 NJAC) at bay as the Pioneers suffered a 34-17 Homecoming loss Sept. 22 at Wightman Stadium.

Senior tailback Dawys German (North Arlington, N.J./North Arlington) rushed 22 times for 108 yards, while junior Mick Paye (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) caught seven passes for 103 yards and a pair of touchdowns.  Sophomore linebacker John Garbowski (Mohegan Lake, N.Y./Lakeland) made a game-best 13 tackles for the WP defense.

After a three-and-out by the Red Hawk offense to open the contest, the Pioneers put together a 14-play, 72-yard scoring drive.  Sophomore Robert Sinegra's (Wharton, N.J./Morris Knolls) 25-yard field goal put William Paterson on the scoreboard at the 6:46 mark of the first quarter.

Another MSU three-and-out gave the ball back to WP at its own 19-yard line, and a 15-yard Ryan Gresik (Newton, N.J./Newton) completion to junior wide receiver Howard Davis (Franklin Park, N.J./Franklin), coupled with German runs for 14 and 15 yards, helped to set up the Pioneers at the MSU-31.  Gresik lofted a ball along the right side of the end zone for Paye, who fought his way past two defenders, squeezing through to haul in the touchdown.  Sinegra's PAT was good, and William Paterson jumped out to a 10-0 lead with 27.4 seconds remaining in the opening period.

The two teams traded punts before MSU running back A.J. Scoppa ripped off a 26-yard run up the sideline, followed by a Drew Cathey 23-yard TD pass to Bryan Ogden.  John Schubert added the extra point to make it a 10-7 score midway through the second quarter.  Just three minutes later, it was Scoppa who found the end zone, avoiding a tackle for loss and cutting back upfield for a 15-yard score with 4:08 remaining in the half.  Montclair State carried its 14-10 lead into locker room.

On their first possession of the third quarter, the Red Hawks again went to Scoppa, this time for a 31-yard touchdown on a third-and-one play.  Schubert's PAT made it a 21-10 contest less than five minutes into the second half.  After forcing a WP punt, Montclair State started its next drive on the WP-44.  Scoppa started the series with a 27-yard carry, and a 16-yard Cathey-to-Ogden completion led to a one-yard TD for Scoppa.  The kick was no good, but MSU had staked itself to a 27-10 advantage with 5:46 on the clock in the third quarter.

Freshman quarterback Mike Keller (Little Egg Harbor, N.J./Pinelands Regional) was sacked and fumbled to open the fourth quarter, giving Montclair State the ball on the Pioneers' 18-yard line.  Two carries by Scoppa, the last for a single yard, made it a 34-10 margin at the 12:34 mark.

Paye fought off MSU defensive back Eric Gargiulo in the end zone, hauling in a 24-yard pass from Keller to finish the scoring with 4:00 remaining.

Gresik was 12-for-18 for 114 yards and a touchdown during the first half, while Keller finished 10-for-23 for 115 yards and a score under center for WP.  Davis caught six passes for 54 yards.

Senior linebacker Clifton Glaze (Palmyra, N.J./Palmyra) made 10 stops for the Pioneer defense, and seniors Adam Curry (Sayreville, N.J./Sayreville War Memorial) and Javon Hodges (Parlin, N.J./Sayreville War Memorial) each made six tackles.

Cathey was 6-for-14 for 77 yards and a touchdown for Montclair State.  Scoppa finished with 247 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 30 attempts, and Ogden caught four passes for 60 yards and a score.

Junior linebacker Dan Avento paced MSU with nine tackles (1.5 TFL), and sophomore defensive back C.J. Conway made seven stops while breaking up a pair of passes.

William Paterson will visit Maritime Saturday, Sept. 29, at 2:00 p.m.

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