OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Delaware Valley football traded the lead with Stevenson University in the second half on Saturday afternoon but capitalized on key turnovers and special teams plays to earn a 40-30 victory over the Mustangs.
Justin Brown picked up an early first down on the Aggies' opening possession before Mike Galasso connected with Kenny Montgomery for a 10-yard gain. A holding penalty against Stevenson gave DelVal another first down, and Brown followed with a 22-yard catch and run. After several attempts to reach the end zone from the one-yard line, Galasso punched it in himself to give the Aggies a 7-0 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Stevenson's White muffed the catch, and Michael Sassano recovered the ball for DelVal. The Aggies quickly capitalized as Brown gained 19 yards on another catch and run before Galasso found John Dzielawa in the end zone on third-and-12. Brendan Hazell converted the extra point to make it 14-0. A 51-yard gain by Emmens helped the Mustangs move deep into DelVal territory, and Emmens eventually scored from the one-yard line to cut the lead in half. Before the end of the first quarter, Galasso connected with Nazier Fuller for a 51-yard completion over the middle.
Stevenson's defense held on the opening possession of the second quarter, forcing DelVal to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Sebastian Swiatek. The Aggies' defense then forced a three-and-out, highlighted by a tackle for loss from Thomas Arcaroli and a sack by Hunter Johnson. The Mustangs' punter shanked the kick out of bounds for just eight yards, setting DelVal up at the Stevenson 20-yard line. Brown picked up a first down with a pair of runs before Zyaire Goffney-Fleming caught a short pass and ran into the end zone to extend the lead to 23-7. Aziyah Garland sacked Knight for a three-yard loss on Stevenson's next possession, but Knight followed with a 19-yard run, and a penalty moved the Mustangs to midfield. Stevenson put together a scoring drive, finding the end zone on fourth-and-four from the DelVal 30-yard line with a touchdown pass to Robinson. The Aggies responded with a drive downfield but settled for another Swiatek field goal, this one from 36 yards, to take a 26-14 lead into halftime.
Stevenson needed just 2:11 to score coming out of the break, using an 18-yard pass and a 50-yard touchdown run by Knight to cut the deficit. The Mustangs then forced a DelVal three-and-out and took possession down five. A 35-yard reception moved Stevenson to the DelVal 40-yard line. Several plays later, Lattimore connected with Bair over the middle for a touchdown from the 29-yard line, giving the Mustangs a 27-26 lead after the extra point was missed. A holding penalty against Stevenson gave the Aggies a fresh set of downs on their next possession, but Galasso was intercepted. DelVal's defense held, and Dzielawa blocked the ensuing punt. Marc Peterson recovered the ball and returned it for a touchdown with 5:13 remaining in the third quarter, putting the Aggies back in front, 33-27. On the Mustangs' next drive, the defense allowed Stevenson to reach the DelVal seven-yard line, but Kimir Stephenson broke up a third-down pass to force a field goal, making it a 33-30 game.
Neither team found much momentum early in the fourth quarter. With 7:28 remaining, Stephenson picked off Lattimore on the first play of a Stevenson possession, setting DelVal up at the Mustangs' 18-yard line. Brown caught a short pass to reach the four-yard line before scoring from the one to extend the Aggies' lead to 40-30 with 4:18 remaining. The Mustangs threw three consecutive incompletions before attempting to convert on fourth down, but gained only six yards, turning the ball over on downs. DelVal was unable to add to its lead on the next possession but forced Stevenson to use its timeouts. The Mustangs moved downfield on their final drive but could not score, sealing the 40-30 victory for the Aggies.
Following the win, DelVal improved to 4-2 overall and 4-1 in MAC play. The Aggies return home to host second-place Misericordia on Saturday, Oct. 24, for Homecoming.
