BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – The LIU Post football team improved to 6-0 on the season with a 37-6 victory against Saint Anselm College in front of a crowd of 2,712 at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium on Homecoming.
 
The Pioneers dominated throughout the entire contest, garnering 442 yards of total offense to just 270 by the Hawks. Graduate student quarterback Chris Laviano had another outstanding game under center, completing 22-of-45 pass attempts for 278 yards and four touchdowns, while adding 69 rushing yards on 11 carries. On the receiving end, redshirt-senior Michael Richardson hauled in eight catches for 81 yards and three scores, while classmate Deon Mash added three receptions for 85 yards and one touchdown.
 
Defensively it was the Nazir Streater show for the second-consecutive week as the sophomore defensive back picked off three passes to come within one interception of Sam Halbrecht's program-record. Redshirt-junior Zach Cofrancesco tallied a team-high 10 tackles in the secondary and graduate student Kevin Petit-Frere notched two sacks.
 
Both sides turned the ball over on downs on the game's first two possessions before Saint Anselm kicked a 33-yard field goal for the first points of the contest with just under seven minutes remaining during the first quarter. The Pioneers responded quickly to take control of the contest, however. After Richardson returned a punt 34 yards to the Saint Anselm 44-yard line, Laviano found him wide open down the right sideline after a fantastic play-action fake for the game's first touchdown.
 
LIU Post extended the lead early in the second quarter as redshirt-senior Malik Pierre scampered into the endzone on a one-yard touchdown run to cap off a seven-play, 27-yard drive following a Hawk turnover on a punt. With the score 14-3, Laviano rolled out and found Richardson in the back of the end zone for his second touchdown reception to put the Green and Gold ahead 21-3 late in the half. Saint Anselm eventually kicked a 44-yard field goal as time expired as LIU Post entered the locker room with a 21-6 advantage.
 
The defense tightened its grasp during the second half, shutting out the Hawks during the final 30 minutes. On the opposite side of the ball, it took just 95 seconds for the Pioneers to extend the lead as Laviano found Mash down the left sideline for a 48-yard touchdown strike to make it a three-possession game. Senior Joey Tolgyesi added a 31-yard field goal late in the third quarter before Richardson hauled in his third touchdown of the day on a seven-yard pass from Laviano during the fourth quarter.
 
With victories by Assumption College and the University of New Haven on Saturday, LIU Post stays tied atop the Northeast-10 Conference standings with a 5-0 mark in league play. That top will be cut by at least one team next weekend when Assumption travels to West Haven, Conn. to take on New Haven. LIU Post returns to action next weekend when they host Pace University inside Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m.