SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – Michael Hardyway and Malakai Brown made a statement for the Shepherd University football team on Saturday.
But Klayton Batten added the punctuation.
Hardyway found Brown for a 20-yard touchdown pass with 7:09 remaining to give Shepherd the lead in a Pennsylvania Athletic Conference East matchup against West Chester. But Batten added the exclamation point with a critical interception to prevent a Golden Ram scoring drive in the final minute to preserve Shepherd’s 28-24 victory.
It gave Shepherd its second straight win after opening the season with four straight losses and gave it a 2-1 record in the division.
But it wasn’t without some heroics.
Shepherd was nursing the four-point lead with West Chester took one last shot to win the game. With 3:40 remaining, the Golden Rams used 14 plays to move to the Shepherd 15.
West Chester quarterback Colin O’Sullivan threw a third-and-7 pass off a shotgun snap at the Rams 15. Batten intercepted the thrown and returned it 79 yards, leaving the Rams with :23 remaining to run out the clock for the victory.
Batten, who also returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, made sure Hardyway and Brown’s scoring play stood up.
The Rams responded after West Chester opened the fourth quarter with an O’Sullivan nine-yard TD pass to Thatcher Miller with 10:40 remaining to retake the lead. Rylon Zuk added the extra point to secure a 24-21 lead.
The Rams took the ensuing kickoff and used a combination of runs by Jordan Barnett and three Hardyway-to-Brown passes to get to the end zone. The third of that trio was the 20-yard effort that provided the winning score.
The score followed by the interception put an end to a seesaw battle with four lead changes and neither team leading by more than seven points.
Shepherd took a 7-0 lead when Grant Swinehart scored on a two-yard plunge at the 5:59 mark for a 7-0 lead with the only score of the first quarter. Keith Baker added the extra point.
West Chester tied the game at 7-7 on Ethan Kohler one-yard run with 8:16 left in the half. The Golden Rams took a 14-7 lead 3 ½ minutes later on a Khalil Owens’ score from the 1.
Shepherd tied the game six seconds before the half when Barnett scored from the 2 one play after the Rams’ Damier Minkah blocked a West Chester punt.
Shepherd struck first in the third quarter to regain a 21-14 on Batten’s punt return at the 6:16 mark.
Zuk hit on a 22-yard field goal before O’Sullivan connected with Thatcher to make it 24-21, which forced Shepherd’s hand.
Hardyway completed 16-of-24 passes for 151 yards. O’Sullivan was 13-of-25 for 106 yards for West Chester. Shepherd’s Jaden Ashby led the receivers with four catches for 51 yards while Brown added four receptions for 47 yards and the touchdown.
Barnett had 19 carries for a game-high 136 yards for the Rams, who had 328 yards of total offense and West Chester had 271 yards.
Women’s soccer
Shepherd 4, East Stroudsburg 0
SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – Shepherd University showed diversity in its offense as four different players shared in the scoring in a victory over goals as Shepherd University (4-1-5, 3-1-5 PSAC East) recorded a 4-0 win over East Stroudsburg in a PSAC East match on Saturday.
in PSAC East women’s soccer action at Shepherd on Saturday.
The Rams (5-3-3, 2-3-3 PSAC East) took a 1-0 lead when forward Merritt Delk scored on a feed from defender Erika Moore at the 21:02 mark.
Midfielder Annabelle Wunderlich scored an unassisted goal at the 27:01 mark.
Midfielder Josie Beezel added another unassisted goal minutes later to put the Rams up three goals at halftime.
Forward Lydia Gable scored on a pass from midfielder Reagan Ackermann at the 67:41 to cap the scoring.
Goalkeeper Hannah Wilt had one save for the Rams.
Shepherd had a 13-3 advantage in shots with a 5-1 edge in shots on goal. Corner kicks were even at 1-1.
Men’s soccer
Shepherd 2, West Chester 1
WEST CHESTER, Pa. –Aaron Sullivan scored on an assist from Rylan Hertzog at the 78:24 mark to lift Shepherd University over West Chester on Saturday in PSAC match.
Shepherd (5-6, 2-2 PSAC East) took a 1-0 lead at the 11:08 mark on a goal by midfielder Justin Langdon on a pass from Clear Spring graduate Conner Fedorko.
West Chester tied the game 1-1 with a goal by Luke Newman at the 51:20 mark.
Goalkeeper Aidan Houck posted seven saves for the Rams
Shepherd had a 20-13 margin in shots and a 14-8 advantage in shots on goal. West Chester had a 7-2 edge on corner kicks.
Volleyball
Shepherd splits two matches
SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – Shepherd University (13-5, 3-2 PSAC East) fell in five sets to East Stroudsburg 24-26, 25-17, 23-25, 25-21, 15-11 in PSAC East volleyball action at the Butcher Center on Saturday evening.
On Friday, Ada McCoy (posted a match-high 23 kills to pace the Rams a four-set win over Kutztown 22-25, 25-15, 25-15, 25-22 in PSAC East match.
McCoy added 10 digs, while outside hitter Amya Davis added 10 kills and six digs and middle hitter Sophia Ryan, middle hitter Rylee Lenz and Smithsburg graduate Emily Ryder each contributed nine kills.
Setter Macy Buso posted a match-high 45 assists and 10 digs. Libero/defensive specialist Madigan Faircloth recorded a team-high 19 digs.
