Staten Island, N.Y. - A goal-line stand in the waning moments of the game by the Robert Morris University football team Saturday afternoon on Staten Island, N.Y., preserved a 14-10 victory over Wagner at Wagner College Stadium for the club's fourth win in a row. The victory improves the Colonials to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in Northeast Conference play, while the Seahawks fell to 4-2 overall and 0-2 in league action.

Nursing a 14-10 lead with under six minutes to play, Wagner marched 71 yards down to the Robert Morris two-yard line with less than a minute to play, but the Seahawks were turned away on each of their next four cracks at the end zone for the go-ahead score. A big play came on third-and-goal, when Jason Butler, who rushed for 55 yards during the drive for Wagner, was thrown for a four-yard loss that put the ball at the RMU five-yard line for fourth-and-goal. Senior defensive lineman Matt Brunck (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Fox Chapel) and junior defensive back Mike Niklos (Columbus, Ohio / Bishop Watterson) teamed up to throw Butler for the loss. On fourth-and-goal Seahawk quarterback Matt Abbey scrambled to his right in an attempt to score in the corner of the end zone but came up a yard short, turning the ball over to Robert Morris on downs.

A back-and-forth affair all afternoon that pitted the top two defensive teams in the NEC, Wagner cracked the scoreboard first thanks to a turnover by Robert Morris. Sophomore quarterback Erik Cwalinski (Jacobsburg, Ohio / Shadyside) was picked off by Al Phillips at the Colonial 28-yard line, but Wagner was held to three-and-out, forcing Piotr Czech to give the Seahawks a 3-0 advantage with a 39-yard field goal at the 8:20 mark of the second quarter.

Robert Morris answered on its next possession, marching 67 yards on 10 plays and taking a 7-3 advantage when Cwalinski found senior tight end Jarvis Powers (Stafford, Va. / Brooke Point) open in the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown pass. Cwalinski converted a fourth-down situation early in the drive with a four-yard rush to keep the chains moving for the Colonials, and again on fourth down Wagner safety Tavares Lee was called for pass interference to put the ball on the Wagner 19-yard line for a first down.

The score remained 7-3 in favor of Robert Morris heading into halftime, and the Colonials looked like they were going to take control of the contest in third quarter when they put together a five-play, 62-yard drive that was capped by an 18-yard touchdown pass from Cwalinski to Powers to up RMU to a 14-3 advantage. The Robert Morris defense did another solid job of holding its opponent in check, allowing Wagner just 59 yards of total offense in the first half and 132 through three quarters.

Wagner was able to close within 14-10 with 1:45 left on the third-quarter clock thanks to another Colonial turnover, this time when senior fullback Vince Magnone (Weirton, W.Va. / Weir) coughed the ball up at the RMU 24-yard line. On the next play Abbey connected with Lon Woods for a 24-yard touchdown pass on a post, but the play was called back when the Seahawks were flagged for holding. After a Wagner timeout, Abbey ran the same play and this time hooked up with Woods for a 34-yard scoring strike to close the Seahawk deficit to four.

The score remained that way throughout the fourth quarter until Wagner got the ball back on its own 27-yard line with 5:37 to play. The Seahawks finally got their running game back on the ground in the second half, as Butler almost single-handedly pulled the game out for Wagner before the Robert Morris defense came up with its biggest stop of the year.

Brunck took home team-high honors with eight tackles in the contest, including two for losses that totaled seven yards. Niklos added six tackles, a forced fumble, fumble recovery and two interceptions against Wagner. Cwalinski finished 19-for-31 passing for 186 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and his favorite target on the afternoon was Powers, who caught a career-high six balls for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Senior split end Michael Rogers (Duarte, Calif. / Citrus J.C.) added six catches for 54 yards.

The Colonial ground game produced just 83 yards rushing, as freshman Brian Harden (Sunrise, Fla. / Stranahan) paced RMU with 33 yards on 12 carries. Butler finished with 101 yards on 21 carries for Wagner, the first opponent running back to gain over 100 yards in a game this season against Robert Morris.

RMU returns home for a two-game homestand Saturday, Oct. 8, when it welcomes Central Connecticut State to Joe Walton Stadium for a 1:00 p.m. tilt that is part of the University's Homecoming festivities.

Notes: Niklos became just the fifth Colonial to register 10 career interceptions, as his pair on the afternoon against the Seahawks bumps his career total to 11, which is tied for third all-time at Robert Morris with former linebacker Nate List (1994-97) ... Cwalinski's 19 completions marks a new career high ... Robert Morris was a perfect 2-for-2 in red zone situations against Wagner, pushing their success rate to 86.7 percent (13-for-15) during its four-game winning streak ... The Colonials notched just one sack on the afternoon as Brunck and senior defensive lineman Colyn Haugh (Murrysville, Pa. / Franklin Regional) teamed up to sack Abbey ... RMU tallied five turnovers on the afternoon, with all 10 Wagner points coming off Colonial miscues ... Senior linebacker Jeff Rommes (Gibsonia, Pa. / Deer Lakes) posted six tackles against the Seahawks to push his career total to 176, which ranks 15th all-time at Robert Morris ... The victory gives the Colonials three straight road victories, their best such stretch on the road since also winning three straight in 2001.