WINCHESTER, Va. – One week after snapping a 13-game losing streak, Shenandoah University now owns a two-game winning streak thanks to a 21-18 USA South Conference football victory over Methodist University Saturday night.
The win also snaps a seven-game home losing streak for the Hornets (2-4, 2-1 USA South). Shenandoah had not won on the Sprint Field at Shentel Stadium turf since defeating Methodist (2-4, 1-2) in the 2008 season finale.
Much as it had in the 2009 meeting between the two schools, Saturday's game came down to a MU kicker Tyler Mosko's leg.
In 2009, Mosko gave his Monarchs a 17-14 overtime win by drilling a 42-yard field goal, but Saturday fate turned against him.
With MU trailing 21-18 and the drive stalled on the Hornets 12, Mosko was called on to try and send the game into overtime for the second straight year.
The senior hooked his 29-yard attempt left, giving Shenandoah its second straight victory.
The contest came down to Mosko's attempt due to a furious Methodist comeback. Down 21-10 with just over six minutes to play, Methodist brought itself to within three on the legs of quarterback Travis Murphy.
Murphy drove the visitors 59 yards in 10 plays and 3:17 and completed the drive by converting the two-point conversion himself on a draw play.
A successful on-side kick followed, setting up the fateful drive by the Monarchs.
Shenandoah had the cushion it needed to secure the win by opening up a 14-0 lead by the middle of the second quarter and then opening the fourth period with its only points of the second half.
Quarterback Daniel Wright, who keyed the first touchdown of the game by scampering 59 yards on a 1st down option to set SU up with a 1st and goal from the MU 1, hooked up with Rico Wallace for a 20-yard TD pass in the fourth that proved to be the winning points.
The 20-yard strike represented nearly half of the Hornets aerial production on the evening – Wright was 6 for 15 for 51 yards and the TD through the air.
In between those two offensive scores, junior Trey Cregan had a scoop-and-score 76-yard fumble recovery at the 7:27 mark of the second to put the hosts up 14-0.
The majority of Shenandoah's offensive production came via senior Keone Kyle, who gained 115 yards on 22 carries. He had the first TD on a 1-yard plunge over left guard.
Defensively, Corey Giffing and Josh Rogers had 14 and 13 tackles, respectively.
SU travels to Ferrum next week for a 1 p.m. kick.