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PAINESVILLE, Ohio – Brendan Gallagher made the most of his start. Subbing for starting quarterback Sean Bedevelsky, the sophomore quarterback's nine-yard touchdown pass to Cole Gordon with 6:24 left in regulation gave Lake Erie its only lead of the game and a 13-10 victory Thursday night before a Storm record crowd of 3,169 fans at Jack Britt Memorial Stadium.

Trailing 10-6, Lake Erie used its second possession of the fourth quarter to produce the winning points. The Storm produced a nine-play drive that ate up 77 yards. An eight-yard pass began the drive and the nine-yard pass ended it. In between, the Storm ran for seven consecutive times for 60 yards.

The play of the game might have taken place during Gannon's previous drive. The Golden Knights led by four points and Everett Tune Jr. (Albany, N.Y./Albany Academy) appeared to rip off a 40-yard run down to the Lake Erie four-yard line. But a holding call brought the ball back to the Gannon 46-yard line and the drive stalled three plays later.

Gannon had two more drive to produce the tying score, but was unable to reach scoring territory. The first drive went three-and-out. The final possession began on the Gannon 23-yard line with 1:37 remaining. The Golden Knights moved 16 yards on two completions. On the third play, a pass bounced off a diving Golden Knight and into the hands of Lake Erie's Gus Armbruster to seal the deal with 46 seconds left on the clock.

Head coach Jim Kiernan's squad got the 2011 season off on the right foot by scoring 10 points the first two times it had the ball. After forcing a three-and-out on Lake Erie's opening possession, the Golden Knights immediately put three points on the board.

Gannon marched 42 yards on 13 plays during its opening offensive possession, before settling for a Matt Szczupakowski (Spencerport, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) 38-yard field goal. The boot represented Szczupakowski's first career field goal. True freshman Alex Papson (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) picked up 15 yards on the drive while redshirt freshman Daniel Tapscott (Beltsville, Md./DeMatha Catholic) went 3-of-5 for 26 yards during his first collegiate drive.

Following a second consecutive Lake Erie three-and-out, Justin Caliste (Roseville, Calif./Oakmont) introduced himself to a large Gannon contingent that made the road trip. The true freshman took a punt in the middle of the field, cut to the left and raced 87 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. The play tied a school record for longest punt return in school history, tying a record set by Sonny McClain against Capital in 1994 and Chris Adams against Thiel in 1991. It marked the first punt return of 80 yards or more since McClain's return in 1994.

Lake Erie produced its only points of the first half during a drive that stretched between the first and second quarters. Starting a drive at their own 20-yard line with 1:08 left in the first quarter, the Storm drove the length of the field for its first touchdown of the season. The drive began with a 41-yard pass play from Gallagher to Brandon James. Two plays later, a Gallagher 17-yard completion to Aaron Lindgren moved the ball to Gannon's 31-yard line and ended the quarter.

Patrick Lunney later used a 13-yard run to reach the one-yard line, where Kameron Alexander punched it in with 13:57 left in the half. The extra point sailed wide and kept Gannon lead at 10-6.

Both teams then traded scoreless drives the rest of the half. Lake Erie produced the only scoring potential during that time period. The Storm drove 61 yards to the Gannon 19-yard line with less than five minutes to play. But Matt Jones (Rochester, N.Y./The Aquinas Institute) and Randy Colling (Arcade, N.Y./Pioneer) stopped a running play for a 10-yard loss on the next play. On fourth-and-16 from the Gannon 25-yard line, the Storm elected to go for it but managed only three yards on a pass. The Golden Knights then ran out the clock and took a four-point lead into the break.

The third quarter was a defensive battle as Lake Erie held an 89-49 advantage in yards. Both teams picked up four first downs during the third frame. The biggest turning point of the third quarter came during the Storm's first possession. After forcing Gannon into a three-and-out on its opening possession of the second half, the home team used eight plays to move 60 yards to the Golden Knights' 20-yard line. On the next play, Gallagher hit Nick Yeager on the outside. However, the receiver fumbled the ball on the two-yard line and ended the only threat of the third quarter.

Tune led the Gannon rushing attack with nine carries for 58 yards. Papson added 42 yards on 16 attempts. Tapscott finish 15-of-34 for 147 yards. His top target was Jonathon Jones (Rochester, N.Y./Aquinas) and Jerry Smith (Westland, Mich./John Glenn). Jones hauled in four passes for 39 yards while Smith also had four catches for 30 yards.

Defensively, Khayree Connors-McChristian (Sicklerville, N.J./Winslow Township) led the way with 11 tackles. Will Giles (Nyack, N.Y./St. Joseph Regional), Chris Cook (Cleveland, Ohio/Shaw) and Errick Clark Jr. (Melbourne, Fla./Melbourne) added eight stops each.

Lake Erie held advantages in total yards (371-228), passing yards (199-147), rushing yards (182-81), first downs (20-16) and time of possession (32:39-27:21).

Gannon dropped to 0-1 with its season-opening loss. Lake Erie improved to 1-0 while picking up its first-ever victory against the Golden Knights in four tries. Gannon returns to action Saturday, September 10 against Shippensburg at Gannon University Field. The home opener is slated for a 12 noon kickoff. It will be Veterans and First Responders Appreciation Day in honor of the 10th anniversary of 9/11. All firefighters, police officers, veterans and members of the armed forces will be admitted free of charge. The first 500 fans through the gate will receive free miniature flags and activities are planned throughout the day.

For a complete box score from Thursday's Gannon-Lake Erie football game, please click here.