ANNVILLE, Pa. – Delaware Valley football overcame a 17-3 deficit to defeat Lebanon Valley, 18-17, on Saturday afternoon. The win marked the first of the season for the Aggies and the first career victory for head coach Bill Zwaan Jr.
The Aggies got the ball to start the afternoon, with Mike Galasso connecting with Joel Perez for an early first down. Zyaire Goffney-Fleming gained another with an 11-yard rush before Justin Brown grabbed a short pass and broke out to the sideline for a 24-yard gain. The offense stalled in the red zone, leading to Brendan Hazell having his 30-yard field goal attempt blocked. The Dutchmen earned a first down, but on third-and-seven, Maurice Beverly II made a tackle short of the line to gain, forcing a punt. Neither side could get anything moving on the next two drives, and when DelVal got the ball back, the Aggies drove down to the LVC 18 before time expired in the first quarter.
Justin Brown earned a first down with a short run, but on third-and-five, the Aggies were called for a false start. An incompletion led to a good field goal from Sebastian Swiatek to put DelVal ahead, 3-0. On third-and-one for the Dutchmen, Jo'Zyiah Brown made a stop for a loss of three to force another LVC punt. But on the second play of the Aggies' next drive, Galasso was intercepted, giving LVC the ball at the DVU 29. The Dutchmen made the Aggies pay for the mistake, with Strouse connecting with Cooper for an 18-yard touchdown to take a 7-3 lead with 5:47 remaining in the half. The Aggies were forced to punt, and Tyler Zinkevich's punt was blocked deep in DelVal territory. The defense held despite a penalty, with stops from CJ Partridge and Hunter Johnson, limiting the Dutchmen to a field goal. The struggles continued when the Aggies got the ball back, as Galasso was intercepted again, this time by Choi, who returned it for a touchdown to make it 17-3 with 1:42 remaining. DelVal tried to respond, and on second-and-16, Galasso found Mike Dunn for a 29-yard gain, but the Aggies were again forced to punt heading into halftime.
Out of the break, DelVal put together a 65-yard drive that lasted 8:05 and ended with a seven-yard touchdown run by Justin Brown. The PAT was missed, making it a 17-9 game. On the first play of the ensuing LVC drive, Guzman fumbled after a 13-yard gain, with Thomas Arcaroli recovering for the Aggies. Dunn hauled in a 12-yard grab for an early first down before John Dzielawa caught a pass to move the Aggies to the LVC 4. An illegal substitution penalty set DelVal back five yards before Galasso looked for Perez in the end zone, but the pass fell incomplete. Swiatek then hit a line-drive field goal to bring the Aggies within five as the game moved into the fourth quarter.
The Aggies forced another fumble but were unable to recover before Partridge was called for pass interference. After a 12-yard gain, the Dutchmen faced fourth-and-one at midfield, where Jaden Smith made the stop for DelVal to get the ball back. Goffney-Fleming earned a first down with rushes of eight and two yards before a false start on second down made it second-and-15. A pass to Chance Bennett was too high, but on third-and-long, Galasso found Dunn streaking across the middle for a 29-yard gain to the LVC 19. Perez caught a nine-yard pass before Justin Brown earned another first down with a three-yard burst up the middle. Goffney-Fleming moved the Aggies to the LVC 1, but DelVal was called for another false start.
On third-and-six, Galasso was sacked for a five-yard loss. The Aggies went for it on fourth down but were flagged for another false start, pushing them back to the LVC 16. Galasso stayed on the field and found Sean Mackinder in the back corner of the end zone for the touchdown. The Aggies failed on the two-point conversion but took an 18-17 lead with 4:48 remaining. On fourth-and-six at the LVC 39, the Aggies defense, with Wyatt Younes, forced an incompletion to get the ball back with 3:51 left. More penalties set DelVal back to second-and-27, where Justin Brown and Galasso combined for 12 rushing yards to take the game to the two-minute warning. Zinkevich then punted it away, and on second-and-four, Jovan Tyrell intercepted Strouse. The interception was called incomplete, but DelVal challenged the ruling; however, the replay system was not operational. After a first down, Kimir Stephenson jumped a pass and intercepted Strouse to give the Aggies possession. First downs from Justin Brown and Goffney-Fleming allowed Galasso to take a knee and send DelVal into victory formation for the 18-17 comeback victory.
With the win, the Aggies improve to 1-1 overall. DelVal returns home next Saturday, September 19, to host Albright College for its home opener.
