CHESTER, Pa. – Freshman Eldin Brodlic (Lebanon, Pa./Lebanon) kicked a 21-yard field goal at the start of the second quarter and Lebanon Valley snapped an 11-game losing streak against Widener with a 3-0 victory over the Pioneers Saturday afternoon at an extremely sloppy Leslie C. Quick, Jr. Stadium.
After yielding a MAC-record 74 points to Widener last season, the Dutchmen (2-1, 1-1 MAC) shut out the Pioneers (0-2, 0-2 MAC) to earn their first victory over Widener since their 30-3 victory in 1992. Lebanon Valley also won for the first time in six tries at Widener, with LVC's last win in Chester coming in a 28-24 victory in 1991.
The 3-0 score marked the lowest combined point total in a Lebanon Valley football game since the Dutchmen's 0-0 tie at home against Widener in 1947.
Lebanon Valley is off to its best start since beginning the 1992 season 2-1.
Widener was shut out for the first time since its 31-0 loss against Lycoming in 1991.
The remnants of Hurricane Ivan played a major part in the game, as neither team was able to generate much offense in the thick mud and driving rain. The two teams combined for 13 fumbles and 19 punts. Widener fumbled eight times, losing the ball on five of those turnovers, and managed only 149 total yards. LVC committed five fumbles, but recovered every one. The Dutchmen gained just 173 total yards.
Junior linebacker Todd Dietrich (Palmyra, Pa./Halifax) and junior cornerback Joey Venezia (Hummelstown, Pa./Hershey) led LVC's defensive effort with six tackles apiece. Senior defensive end Lucas Robinson (East Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) recovered a pair of fumbles while junior Matt Murphy (Fallston, Md./Fallston), senior Mitch Nyman (Pottstown, Pa./Boyertown) and freshman Paul Covine (Barnegat, N.J./Southern Regional) recovered one fumble apiece.
Sophomore quarterback Dan Kelly (King of Prussia, Pa./Upper Merion) completed 8-of-17 passes for 101 yards to lead LVC while sophomore tight end Matt Hess (Annville, Pa./Annville-Cleona) had three receptions for 49 yards. In his first collegiate start, freshman running back Ryan Brennan (Highland Lakes, N.J./Vernon Township) carried the ball 23 times for 55 yards for the Valley.
Ray Keshel led Widener with 96 yards rushing on 17 attempts. Mike Lomas completed only 6 of 23 passes for 47 yards. He also fumbled the ball five times.
The Dutchmen applied the defensive clamps in the first half and held Widener 71 total yards and three first downs. The Pioneers fumbled four times in the stanza, with LVC recovering twice. The big blow was a turnover by Lomas on the second play of the second quarter. Lomas fumbled the ball as he dropped back to pass inside his own 15-yard line, and Robinson pounced on it at the Widener-3. Three plays later, Brodlic came on for his first collegiate field goal attempt, and his kick just cleared the crossbar as the Dutchmen took a 3-0 lead.
That score would hold up for the duration of the half, as the two teams combined for just five first downs the rest of the way.
On its second possession of the second half, Widener was poised to score after a 55-yard run by Ray Keshel gave the Pioneers the ball at the LVC-22. A nine-yard pass gave Widener a first-and-goal from the Dutchmen-9, but on second down Lomas fumbled again while Robinson came up with his second recovery of the day.
The Pioneers received excellent field position early in the fourth quarter after receiving a punt at the Lebanon Valley-32. But Widener went three and out and elected to punt.
Lebanon Valley punted on its next possession, and on the first play of Widener's ensuing drive Dietrich stepped in front of a Lomas pass for an interception that gave the Dutchmen the ball at midfield.
Despite Widener's lack of offense, its defense kept it in the game. Following Dietrich's interception, the Dutchmen went three and out again, and sophomore Dan Stauffer's (Swedesburg, Pa./Upper Merion) ninth punt of the day gave Widener the ball at the LVC-27 with 3:57 to go.
However, turnovers would finally do in the Pionners. On fourth-and-six from the Widener-31, a bad snap sailed over the head of Lomas, and Nyman smothered it at the Pioneer-22 with 2:18 left.
Kelly rushed the ball up the middle on LVC's next three plays, and he recovered his own fumbled snap on fourth down before Widener took the field with 1:15 on the clock. But Lomas threw four consecutive incomplete passes and Lebanon Valley was able to run off the final 59 seconds of play.
The Dutchmen return to action next Saturday when they host Moravian at 1 p.m. in another MAC showdown.
[Photo - Junior linebacker Todd Dietrich, who had six tackles and a late-game interception in Lebanon Valley's 3-0 win over Widener on Saturday]
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