WATERBURY, Conn. -- Sophomore running back Edward Bandy had a breakout game for Post University Football, running for 142 yards on the ground with a touchdown on just 17 carries to help the Eagles snap their five-game losing streak on Senior Day at Municipal Stadium with a nearly wire-to-wire victory over Saint Anselm College, 41-35, on Saturday afternoon.

The victory for Post marks the first time in program history that they have defeated the Hawks since the Football program went to the Division II level back in 2022. 

THE BASICS

Post University 41, Saint Anselm College 35

Post University (4-5, 2-5 NE10)

Saint Anselm College (5-5, 4-4 NE10)

HOW IT HAPPENED
At the start of the day, things looked shaky for the Eagles as sophomore running back Jake Croce ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage to give the Hawks a 7-0 lead only 12 seconds into the game. Following a three-and-out from both teams, Post would regain possession and seemingly have a second straight three-and-out until freshman punter Hayden Hall's kick was muffed at the 10-yard line by junior defensive back Jon Hosney and scooped up at the four-yard line by freshman cornerback JJ Morales. 

That prime field position for Post led the game-tying score just one play later on freshman wide receiver Israel Hiraldo's four-yard touchdown run. Each side would exchange one more score before the end of the first quarter as junior quarterback Drew Forkner hooked up with senior running back Jaidin Haynes for the 66-yard touchdown strike before Hiraldo's 23-yard haul from junior quarterback Tyler Phommachanh with 18 seconds left in the frame made it a 14-14 game after only the first quarter. 

Saint Anselm would take the lead only once more, the remainder of the afternoon on a five-yard hook-up from Forkner to junior wide receiver Kyle Verrist in the second quarter, before a momentum-changing onside kick gave the Eagles a short field. Junior kicker Michael Guarnieri looked to push an onside kick past the required ten yards, but it was touched by sophomore defensive back Liam Stack after only nine yards, resulting in kick catch interference, placing the ball at the 29-yard line of Saint Anselm for Post. That would be all the Eagles need as back-to-back runs from Phommachanh put Post into the end zone, still trailing by one, 21-20, after freshman kicker Nathan Hawkins missed the extra point. 

Seeming content on running out the clock on the first half, Saint Anselm drove into Post territory with four downs to work with following a holding penalty, which Croce essentially wiped out with a 12-yard run on first down. After the two-minute warning, the Eagle defense would clamp down, resulting in a turnover on downs at their own 30-yard line with a minute remaining. Needing only 55 seconds, senior quarterback Malakai Taylor's 20-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Jahiem Chambers, followed by a 47-yard completion to Hiraldo, led to the go-ahead score from Taylor via his one-yard tush push into the end zone.

Coming up with a big defensive stop to start the second half, senior defensive back Givanni Flaccavento picked off Forkner at the Saint Anselm 25-yard line before a personal foul after the play by Post pushed them back to the 40-yard line. Nonetheless, eight plays later, it was Phommachanh running it into the end zone from five yards out to extend the Eagle lead to two scores, 34-21. That would be the first of three scoring drives between the two teams as a two-yard touchdown from senior quarterback Ronan Noke to senior tight end Kevin McGurn and Bandy's 14-yard touchdown run closed out a third quarter that saw 21 combined points all in the final 8 1/2 minutes of action. 

The offense for both teams would go stagnant in the fourth before a length five-minute drive from Saint Anselm following a missed 30-yard field goal by Hawkins, which saw them pull back within one score with 2:43 left in regulation and two timeouts. Forkner's strike to freshman wide receiver Domingo Meade for 22 yards would bring the deficit back down to six points, 41-35, and the Hawks' defense would force Post into a third-and-eight situation following the two-minute warning.

With the game on the line, Bandy's 17th carry of the game would be his longest and clinch the win for the Eagles as he rumbled inside the Saint Anselm ten-yard line for 39 yards, allowing Post to kneel the ball three times to hold on for the 41-35 victory. As a team, Post rushed for 209 yards and five rushing touchdowns between Bandy, Phommachanh, Hiraldo, and Taylor, while Croce finished with 209 yards rushing for Saint Anselm on 19 carries with one score.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Edward Bandy finished with 142 rushing yards and a touchdown -- Bandy's 142 yards on the ground were the third-most for a single game in program history for Post University
• As a team, Post University rushed for five touchdowns, the second-most in a single game in program history behind only their six rushing touchdowns against West Virginia Wesleyan College on August 30th this season
• Scoring 41 points offensively today, that is the second-most points in a game for Post University in program history, behind only their 51-point outing against West Virginia Wesleyan College to start the 2025 season
• Post University moves to 4-0 on the season when rushing for more than 150 yards as a team, while going 0-5 when being held to under 150 rushing yards 

WHO'S NEXT
Post University closes the 2025 season next weekend on the road against Southern Connecticut State University for their final conference game. Earlier this year, against the Owls, the Eagles held off a late surge to earn their second win of the season, 39-30, back on September 13th.