Staten Island, NY – The Wagner College football team earned a 37-26 victory over LIU on Friday night at Hameline Field for the Seahawks' first victory of the season.
The win also marked the first win for Wagner under head coach
Tom Masella.
Wagner never trailed throughout the entirety of the contest and scored two defensive touchdowns to pick up the victory.
The Seahawks got on the board in the first quarter on a two-yard run by freshman
Zachary Palmer-Smith.
After the Sharks tied the game early in the second quarter, senior
Coby Calvin returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown to once again put the Seahawks in front.
The Sharks answered with a touchdown on the ensuing drive but missed the extra point, before the Seahawks extended their lead to eight on a 29-yard connection between senior quarterback
Nick Kargman and junior wide receiver
Naiem Simmons.
Both teams traded field goals late in the first half, with Wagner taking a 24-16 lead into the halftime locker room following a 39-yard field goal by sophomore
Austin Hosier with time expiring in the first half.
LIU opened the scoring in the second half with a field goal to cut the deficit to 24-19, before a one-yard touchdown run by sophomore
Rickey Spruill made it a two-possession game at 30-19 with 5:55 to play in the third quarter.
The Seahawks put the game away in the fourth quarter, as a 49-yard interception return by
Junior Wily made it 37-19 with 10:08 to play. The Sharks added a late touchdown, but it wasn't enough, as the Seahawks came away with the victory.
Graduate student
Titus Leo once again led Wagner with nine tackles and one tackle for loss along with one forced fumble, while junior
Christian Davis was the third Seahawk to intercept a pass on the day as the Seahawk defense combined for four turnovers on the day.
Offensively, Spruill led the Green and White with 81 yards on the ground, while Simmons finished with eight catches for 85 yards and a score.
Next up, Wagner will travel to Central Connecticut next Saturday, October 29, with kickoff set for 12:00 pm.
