Lancers come from behind twice to defeat Golden Hawks

Photo by Michael P. Hall

Windsor, Ont - The Windsor Lancer Football team (1-1) kept their fans on the edge of their seats as they came from behind twice to defeat the Laurier Golden Hawks 39-34 on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field. 

After defeating the Golden Hawks (1-1) in overtime last season, all eyes were on Alumni Field and the two teams did not disappoint as the lead continued to trade hands.  

Behind by one with 30 seconds remaining in the fourth, Austin Kennedy completed a 58 yard pass to Evan Pszczonak to complete the Lancer comeback and give the Blue & Gold their second straight win in as many years.

Pszczonak finished the game with 2 touchdowns on six catches and 144 yards. Kennedy went 22-for-38, 326 yards, and 2 touchdowns, while adding 58 yards on the ground and a TD. Running back Beau Lumley added the Lancers fourth touchdown with 61 yards rushing on 10 carriers.

Defensively, Austin Crumb had a solid game with 6.5 tackles, while Frank Renaud chipped in six.

For the Golden Hawks, quarterback James Fracas went an impressive 25-for-30 to finish the game with 292 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, Dillon Campbell netted 177 yards and a touchdown, while receiver Anthony Pizzuti had 96 yards and a score in the air.

Down 13-0 in the second quarter, Windsor took a one point lead heading into the half with a pair of touchdowns from Lumley and Pszczonak.

Early in the third, a conceded safety from Laurier put the Lancers up by three, 16-13, before the Golden Hawks went on a 20-0 run to take a 33-16 lead early in the final quarter.

Laurier kicker Ronnie Pfeffer had a 36-yard and 22-yard field goals to start the run and put the Hawks back on top heading into the final frame.

The Golden Hawks opened the quarter with a two-yard pass to Pizzuti, and added another seven points on their next drive as Greg Nyhof caught a 12 yard pass from Fracas.

Windsor running back Nick Vincent kicked off the Lancer comeback with a one-yard touchdown run and Kennedy's seven-yard scoring run made it a three-point game with just over six minutes to play.

After Campbell fumbled the ball, the Blue & Gold drove the ball down field to set up Malandruccolo's 43-yard field goal to tie the game.

On their next drive, Laurier kicker Ronnie Pfeffer missed a 44-yard field goal, but Lancer DB Austin Crumb was tackled in the end zone for a single, putting Laurier up 34-33 with 1:41 to remaining.

This set the stage for Pszczonak's 58 yard pass from Kennedy. The team's two-point attempt failed, but the Lancer defense played strong through the final thirty seconds to hold on for the win.

With a 1-1 record, Windsor now heads into their bye week, while the Golden Hawks, also .500 on the season, will host their rivals from across the street, the Waterloo Warriors in their first home game of the season.