St. Bonifacius, Minn. – In a sloppy but exciting game, Crown College lost on homecoming to the University of Northwestern-St. Paul by a 40-14 score.  The game featured 19 penalties, seven turnovers, five fumbles, and two missed extra points.

Northwestern was able to set the tone for the game from the opening kickoff as Chris Simon-Wallace returned the kick 93 yards for a touchdown.  A trio of short touchdown runs made the score 26-0 before UNW returned an interception for a touchdown just before halftime to make the score 33-0 at the break.

Crown struggled in the battle for field position all night, with their average starting position being their own 15 yard line through three quarters.  On the other side, Northwestern had an average starting field position near midfield.

Turnovers played a key part as Northwestern got some great field position off Crown turnovers, intercepting the Storm twice and nearly scoring on a fumble recovery deep in Crown territory.
The two teams were nearly even in yards from scrimmage, with the Storm actually out-gaining their opponents.  Ultimately, big plays and costly turnovers were the difference as the Eagles were able to capitalize with points, while the Storm struggled to drive the length of the field for scores.

The game wasn't without highlights for the home team, however, as both Matt Michaud and Josh Edlund found pay dirt in the fourth quarter.  Michaud led the team with 93 yards on the ground.

Brandon McCormick threw for 165 yards, including a near touchdown to Elijah Bryant that set up one Crown score.

Cornerback Thomas Andrews had a huge night defensively, forcing a fumble that Crown recovered and grabbing two highlight reel interceptions.  Andrews completed one diving interception to give Crown possession directly after the Storm had given to the ball to the Eagles on a fumble, and grabbed another in the end zone, thwarting a Northwestern scoring opportunity. 

Crown has now battled three of the top five teams in the UMAC through three conference games, reminiscent of their tough start to the 2013 season.  The Storm will look to get in the win column next Saturday as they host Iowa Wesleyan College at KleinBank Stadium.  Kickoff is set for  1 p.m.