LATROBE, Pa. (Oct. 24) – The Saint Vincent College football team picked up its third consecutive victory on Saturday afternoon, holding off Geneva College for a 24-21 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) win at Chuck Noll Field.
With the victory, Saint Vincent improved to 4-2 overall and 2-2 in PAC play, while Geneva fell to 3-4 overall and 2-3 in conference action.
Quarterback Jake Phillips led the Bearcats offensively, completing 12 of 29 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns, while Tristan Doy hauled in a team-high 134 receiving yards. Matthew Davis paced the Saint Vincent rushing attack with 82 yards on 12 carries.
After Geneva opened the scoring with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Romano to Damien Lacks midway through the first quarter, Saint Vincent responded with 17 unanswered points to take control of the contest.
The Bearcats evened the score early in the second quarter when Phillips connected with Doy for a 14-yard touchdown pass, capping off a nine-play, 42-yard scoring drive. Jarrett Garn converted the extra point to tie the game at 7-7.
Less than three minutes later, Saint Vincent's special teams unit came up with a big play, as Joshua Spontak blocked a Geneva punt and James Reyer recovered the loose ball and returned it 10 yards for a touchdown. Garn's extra point gave the Bearcats a 14-7 advantage with 11:40 remaining in the opening half.
The Saint Vincent defense held Geneva scoreless for the remainder of the half, allowing the Bearcats to carry their seven-point lead into the locker room.
Saint Vincent extended its advantage on the opening possession of the second half, putting together a 12-play, 67-yard drive that ended with a 26-yard field goal from Garn. Davis highlighted the drive with a 27-yard rush, helping the Bearcats extend their lead to 17-7 with 9:19 remaining in the third quarter.
Geneva cut into the deficit early in the fourth quarter, as Romano scored on a one-yard touchdown run. The extra-point attempt was blocked, keeping Saint Vincent in front, 17-13.
The Bearcats answered almost immediately, needing just two plays to find the end zone. Phillips connected with Chris Downs for a 69-yard touchdown pass, and Garn added the extra point to push the Saint Vincent lead to 24-13 with 14:11 remaining.
The Golden Tornadoes refused to go away, responding with a seven-play, 70-yard scoring drive capped off by a 14-yard touchdown pass from Romano to Kamden Wright. Geneva successfully converted the two-point attempt to trim the Bearcats' advantage to 24-21 with 11:14 left in regulation.
Despite the late Geneva comeback attempt, Saint Vincent held on over the final minutes to secure the three-point conference victory.
For Geneva, Romano finished with 477 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Jerry Davis recorded 170 receiving yards.
The win marked Saint Vincent's third straight victory after defeating Thiel and Saint Francis in its previous two contests.
Saint Vincent returns to action next Saturday, October 31 with their final home regular season game of the year against Westminster. Kick off is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Chuck Noll Field with senior day festivities taking place prior to the game.
