The St. Lawrence University football team dropped its 2014 home opener to Norwich University on Saturday afternoon by the score of 10-7. Both offenses struggled in heavy rain, but the Cadets took advantage of two miscues by the home team to steal the non-conference win.

The two teams played a very evenly-matched game, as St. Lawrence (1-1) finished with a 154-152 advantage in yardage, with Norwich (1-1) owning a 76-43 yard edge on the ground. Nael Pierre-Louis closed with a game-high nine tackles and two pass break-ups for the Cadets, while the Saints' defense was led by Dillon Knights's three sacks and a forced fumble.

"My hats off to Norwich," said head coach Mark Raymond, whose team will look to rebound next Saturday, September 20 when the Saints host Morrisville State at 1pm. "They made the plays down the stretch to beat us."

The teams combined for only 18 first downs in the game, as footing on the grass at Weeks Field was troublesome as was any passing attack. Mike Lefflbine finished 14-for-27 passing with a touchdown to Leondre Simmon, the first of his career, while Keyen Foley was 9-for-21 for 76 yards and two interceptions. However, the Saints were unable to capitalize on Norwich's mistakes while the Cadets scored all 10 of their points on turnovers.

The first costly mistake for the Saints came on the game's opening drive, as they were forced to punt from their own 49-yard line. The long snap went well over the head of Brodie Corless as Norwich took over at the home team's 12-yard line, and though the defense held its ground, Wesley Medeiros converted for a 23-yard field goal for a 3-0 Norwich lead.

Neither offense was able to sustain momentum until St. Lawrence's second drive of the second quarter, as Medeiros and Corless punted back-and-forth on several possessions. After taking over in good field position at the Norwich 44, Maurice Irby posted several impressive runs, including a 13-yard push to the Norwich 8-yard line. On 2nd-and-2, Lefflbine found Simmon on a screen pass to the left and the Freeport, NY native did the rest, avoiding a hit and chasing into the end zone for the touchdown. Andrew Carvalho added the extra point for a 7-3 lead with 8:22 left in the half.

Norwich punted on each of its final two drives of the first half, finishing 0-for-10 on third downs in the opening 30:00 minutes. The offensive struggles continued in the second half for the Cadets, as Foley was picked by James Holley-Grisham at the Saints' 3-yard line ending a red zone scoring bid, and again by captain Evan Lapice two drives later. However, St. Lawrence went three-and-out on all three of its third quarter drivers, keeping Norwich in it heading to the fourth quarter.

Though Al Georgio helped pick up Norwich's first third down conversion of the game in the fourth quarter with an incredibly-acrobatic one-handed catch, the Cadets were forced to punt from their own 30. The game's biggest break came on the return, as Holley-Grisham tried to avoid a hit and the ball was knocked free and recovered by the Cadets, giving the visitors 1st-and-10 at the Saints' 39. With new life, Foley through a long ball down the sideline to Adam Fraser, who climbed the ladder and got a foot down to set up 1st-and-goal at the 4-yard line on the 35-yard completion. Two plays later, Norwich took the lead on a touchdown run by Foley to his right, with Medeiros adding the extra point for a 10-7 cushion.

The two teams exchanged punts on consecutive drives before the Saints found themselves with some momentum and a chance to tie or win. With 3:55 left in regulation, Lefflbine started the drive on his own 42, and thanks to completions to Simmon, Sam Anderson and Matt Gardiner, got to the Norwich 29 with a fresh set of downs. However, the Cadets made the key stops, forcing three incomplete passes before stopping Mitch Gallagher at the 20-yard line on fourth down, one yard short of the marker. The turnover on downs allowed Norwich to kneel on the ball and secure the come-from-behind 10-7 win.

Corless finished with a 36.0 yard average on seven punts, while Medeiros was 34.3 per kick for the same attempts. Irby was the game's leading rusher with 72 yards on 25 tries, while Foley led Norwich on the ground with 55 yards and a score on 17 attempts.