September 27, 2025
Moravian Holds Early Lead Before Falling to William Paterson in Final Non-Conference Game of 2025
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University football team had a 14-0 first quarter lead before falling to visiting William Paterson University, 38-14, in the Greyhounds final non-conference game of 2025 at Rocco Calvo Field Saturday afternoon.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University football team had a 14-0 first quarter lead before falling to visiting William Paterson University, 38-14, in the Greyhounds final non-conference game of 2025 at Rocco Calvo Field Saturday afternoon.
How It Happened
- The Hounds received the opening kickoff, and the Blue & Grey picked up two first downs before facing a fourth down at the Pioneers' 34-yard line. A penalty on William Paterson moved Moravian into the red zone, and the Greyhounds got onto the scoreboard on a 32-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback RJ Hart to junior wide receiver Avery Koser. Sophomore Jack Corrigan split the uprights with the extra-point for a 7-0 lead with 10:25 on the clock as the Hounds went 65 yards in ten plays
- William Paterson punted after just three plays on its first possession
- Moravian punted as well after three plays; however, the Pioneers muffed the punt with sophomore linebacker/long snapper Connor Pennington covering the ball at the William Paterson 25-yard line. Two plays later, Hart found Koser again with a 24-yard touchdown strike. Corrigan added the PAT for a 14-0 lead with 6:12 to play in the first quarter
- Each team punted once before the Pioneers got onto the scoreboard on the first play of the second quarter on a 62-yard pass play to cut Moravian's edge to 14-7
- William Paterson tied the game two plays later with a 68-yard interception return for a touchdown to make it 14-14 with 14:09 remaining in the first half
- Neither squad was able to string more than six plays together before punts, a turnover on downs by the Pioneers and an interception by Moravian freshman defensive back Kam White as the score remained 14-14 until the intermission
- William Paterson received the opening kickoff of the second half, and the Pioneers connected on a 38-yard field goal to take a 17-14 lead just 3:05 into the second half
- The Pioneers extended the advantage to 24-14 roughly three minutes later with a 70-yard interception return for a touchdown
- William Paterson stretched the edge to 31-14 on its next drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass
- The Pioneers finished off the scoring with a two-yard touchdown run with 10:08 remaining in the contest
Inside the Numbers
- The Greyhounds' offense recorded 125 yards on the afternoon with 113 yards passing and 12 on the ground
- Hart was 12-for-24 for 100 yards with three interceptions in his first career start while sophomore Ryan Bender went 3-for-5 for 13 yards
- Koser caught four passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns while sophomore wide receiver Josh Ludlow had four receptions for 30 yards to go with one kickoff return for 21 yards and one punt return for seven yards
- Sophomore wide receiver Chris Brown made three catches for seven yards while sophomore wide receiver Gavyn Gennarelli had two receptions for two yards and freshman running back Derek Trinidad had one catch for a yard
- Sophomore running back Jed Bendekovits had six carries for 24 yards while freshman running back Dorian Thomas added 15 yards on four attempts to go with five kickoff returns for 118 yards. Graduate student running back Joey Richmond had six carries for four yards and one reception for four yards
- Corrigan punted eight times for an average of 37.9 yards, and he kicked off three times for an average of 54.0 yards
- Freshman linebacker Jamie Gutridge led the Moravian defense with seven tackles including a half a sack and half a tackle for loss while sophomore defensive lineman Hunter Johnson had six stops and a quarterback hurry
- Junior defensive back Aidan Lane posted five tackles with one and a half for loss while senior linebacker Chris Cacace recorded five tackles with one for loss and senior defensive lineman Nathan Carr had five stops as well
- Senior linebacker Clay Basile, sophomore defensive back Antonio Rivera and sophomore linebacker Malachi McNeil-Harrison all had four tackles with McNeil-Harrison adding a sack, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry while senior defensive back Shea Endean and sophomore defensive lineman Kaelyb Barahona both making three stops with Endean recording a pass break-up
Up Next for the Greyhounds
- Saturday, October 4 at Lycoming College, 1:00 p.m.
- Saturday, October 11 vs. Wilkes University, 1:00 p.m. – Homecoming
