La Salle Defeated by Monmouth
#3 Ranked Hawks Jump to Lead and Pull Away to 34-16 Win
West Long Branch, NJ-- The La Salle University football team traveled across state lines for a non-conference tilt at Monmouth University, and played well but ultimately fell to the Hawks, 34-16, on Saturday at Kessler Field.
Versatile quarterback Vernard Abrams (Philadelphia, PA/Cardinal Dougherty) led the Explorers with 292 yards on 17-of-29 passing, including one touchdown and an interception. He also rushed for 59 yards on 16 carries.
But the Monmouth offense was just a little better. On the day, the Hawks amassed 501 total yards, led by quarterback Brian Boland, who threw for 116 yards on 11-of-16 passing and three touchdowns. Miles Austin was his leading receiver, hauling in seven passes for 125 yards.
Monmouth jumped out to an early 20-0 lead after two touchdown passes from Boland a pair of field goals from kicker Steve Andriola.
However, just before halftime Abrams found running back Ken Triboletti (Moorestown, NJ/Moorestown) for a 74 yard completion. That set up a three yard touchdown strike from Abrams to Triboletti as time expired, and the Explorers entered the locker room trailing, 20-7.
La Salle tried to claw back in the second half, but was unable to contain the Hawks' offense. Monmouth running back Bobby Smith ran in from five yards out in the third, and Boland tossed another touchdown in the fourth to lock up the victory.
The Explorers tacked on another score near the end of the fourth, with Josh Brumfield (Chester Springs, PA/Owen J. Roberts) plowing ahead for a five yard touchdown, but by then the game was already out of reach.
Receiver John Zabel (Ellicott, City, MD/Mt. Hebron) led the Explorers with 108 yards on 8 catches. Billy Rhea (Rockville, MD/Good Counsel) led the defense with six stops and a sack.
La Salle returns home next Saturday to host The College of New Jersey with a 1:00 pm kickoff from McCarthy Stadium. The game will be part of the University's annual Family Day Weekend celebration. Listen to all Explorer Football games on GoExplorers.com through Yahoo! Sports beginning 30 minutes prior to kickoff.
