EASTON, Pa. –Sacred Heart University was stopped three-straight times from the one-yard line in the final seconds of Saturday's season opener at Lafayette College. The Pioneers dropped a 6-0 decision to the Leopards at Fisher Stadium.
 
Sacred Heart starts the season 0-1 while Lafayette opens the John Troxell era at 1-0. The Pioneers start Northeast Conference play next Saturday at Central Connecticut State.
 
SHU's defense turned in one of the best performances ever under head coach Mark Nofri. The Pioneers limited the Leopards to 113 yards of total offense with only eight passing yards. Sacred Heart also got interceptions from Lamar Evans in the second quarter and another from Nick Foglia in the third period. For the defensive lineman Foglia, it was his first career pick.
 
The Pioneers got the ball with 2:06 remaining at their own 23-yard line. Quarterback Marquez McCray hit Rob DiNota for a 34-yard strike on 3^rd & five. The two connected once again on a 20-yard pass with 12 seconds left as DiNota was stopped at the one-yard line.
 
McCray's passes fell incomplete on first and second downs. On the final play of the game, running back Malik Grant was stopped inches short of the goal line.
 
Sacred Heart dominated time of possession (36:51-to-23:09) and ran 79 plays to the Leopards' 47. McCray had a career-high 228 passing yards as part of SHU's 310 total yards. DiNota pulled in a personal-best eight catches for 114 yards.
 
The Pioneers were their own worst enemy, turning the ball over two times inside the Lafayette 40. SHU also committed eight penalties for 72 yards. 
 
SHU had Lafayette backed up to 3^rd & 30 on the SHU 41-yard line, but a personal foul extended the drive. Two plays later, LC quarterback Ryan Schuster turned a broken play into an 18-yard touchdown run for the only score of the game.