EASTON, Pa. (Interstat) — Lafayette defeated Marist 13-9 in an NCAA Football Championship Division game Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, at Fisher Stadium. The Leopards, playing at home, improved to 1-1. The visiting Red Foxes fell to 1-2. Marist scored nine points, while Lafayette scored 13. The Leopards scored six points in the first quarter and seven in the second. Marist scored six points in the first quarter and added three more. The game was tight throughout, with neither team able to pull away. Lafayette held on after a late field-goal attempt missed. The win gave Lafayette a split of its first two games, while Marist dropped below .500.

Marist opened the scoring in the first quarter when Luke Stenson made a 21-yard field goal with 4:47 remaining. Lafayette answered in the second quarter when Jack Simonetta made a 22-yard field goal with 5:03 remaining. In the third quarter, Lafayette quarterback Jason Penza broke through the middle for a 38-yard touchdown run with 5:03 left. Simonetta’s extra point was good. In the fourth quarter, Simonetta attempted a 41-yard field goal with 10:39 remaining, but the kick was no good. The miss left Lafayette ahead by the final margin. Penza’s run proved to be the decisive touchdown. Marist had opportunities but could not score again. Lafayette’s defense held on. The Leopards’ special teams also played a role. Simonetta’s second-quarter kick and extra point helped Lafayette build its lead.

No individual statistics were available for the game’s listed key performers, who were provided in descending order of importance. They were Marist quarterback Sonny Mannino, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound Leesburg, Virginia, product; Lafayette quarterback Daniel Lipovski, a 6-foot-0, 190-pound Burke, Virginia, native; Marist’s Chris Barnes; Marist safety Tyrell Powell, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound Vineland, New Jersey, native; Marist’s Wayne Adair; Marist’s Kade Werner; Marist safety Chase Hatton, a 5-foot-10, 195-pound West Chester, Pennsylvania, product; Marist’s Reggie Bropleh Jr.; Marist safety Jace Williamson, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound Nashville, Tennessee, native; Marist wide receiver Santino Correa, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound Allendale, New Jersey, native; Marist’s Chris Gioia; Marist’s Reece Beauchamp; Marist’s Zach Garmont; Marist’s Reed Shumpert; Marist’s Jayden Taylor; the Marist team unit; Marist quarterback Marco Lainez III, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound Princeton, New Jersey, native; Marist linebacker Matt Bonczek, a 5-foot-11, 220-pound Northfield, New Jersey, native; Marist athlete Ethan Yuska; Marist’s Luke Stenson; Marist’s Naheem Ridore; Marist’s Jake Lisicki; Marist linebacker James Kratochvil, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound Randolph, New Jersey, native; Marist’s Todd Woodring; Marist cornerback Trevion Adcox, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound Solana Beach, California, native; Marist’s Blake Landry; Marist’s Isaiah Simmons; Marist linebacker Dylan Gilmore, a 6-foot-0, 220-pound North Arlington, New Jersey, native; Marist’s Braylen Ricks; Marist’s Jordan Mendoza; Marist’s Joey Patierno; Marist’s Nate Furrow; Marist defensive lineman Sean Coverdale, a 6-foot-3, 285-pound Boxborough, Massachusetts, product; Marist’s Miles Harding; Lafayette linebacker Paul Widerman, a 6-foot-1, 223-pound Eden, North Carolina, native; Lafayette quarterback Jason Penza, a 6-foot-2, 198-pound Crystal Lake, Illinois, native; Lafayette wide receiver Jakyre Henley, a 5-foot-9, 179-pound King William, Virginia, native; Lafayette’s Malachi Gamble; Lafayette running back Koven Smith, a 5-foot-9, 187-pound Gainesville, Virginia, native; Lafayette running back Ethan Weber, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound Bedford, Pennsylvania, native; the Lafayette team unit; Lafayette wide receiver Mason Kuehner, a 5-foot-11, 183-pound Nazareth, Pennsylvania, native; Lafayette wide receiver Carson Persing, a 5-foot-7, 160-pound Danville, Pennsylvania, native; Lafayette wide receiver Matthew Scerbo, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound Phillipsburg, New Jersey, native; Lafayette wide receiver Nick Bierman, a 170-pound Marvin, North Carolina, native; Lafayette wide receiver Zane Wooldridge, a 5-foot-9, 163-pound Austin, Texas, native; Lafayette defensive back Dhonte Jackson, a 5-foot-11, 178-pound Washington, D.C., native; Lafayette linebacker Beckham Dee, a 6-foot-1, 219-pound Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native; Lafayette linebacker Callahan Blair, a 6-foot-5, 231-pound Palm Harbor, Florida, native; and Lafayette’s Darrick LeBeouf. No statistical lines accompanied those names.

Marist entered the game with a 1-1 record. The Red Foxes had beaten Franklin Pierce 27-18 on Sept. 4 and lost at New Haven 22-21 on Aug. 28. Lafayette entered at 0-1. The Leopards had lost at Connecticut 56-7 on Sept. 5. Their Aug. 27 game at Georgetown was listed with Georgetown at zero. Lafayette’s previous results left the team searching for its first win of the season, which it found against Marist. Marist’s early-season schedule had produced one win and one loss before the trip to Easton.

Marist’s upcoming schedule includes a home game against Presbyterian on Sept. 26, a trip to Stetson on Oct. 3, a home game against Columbia on Oct. 9, a visit to Drake on Oct. 17, a home game against Saint Thomas of Minnesota on Oct. 24, a trip to San Diego on Oct. 31, a home game against Morehead State on Nov. 7, a home game against Butler on Nov. 14, and a trip to Davidson on Nov. 21. Lafayette will visit Columbia on Sept. 19, host Holy Cross on Sept. 26, host Richmond on Oct. 3, visit Bucknell on Oct. 17, visit Fordham on Oct. 24, host Villanova on Oct. 31, visit William & Mary on Nov. 7, visit Colgate on Nov. 14, and host Lehigh on Nov. 21.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Lafayette 42, Marist 31. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Lafayette with a 96.6 percent probability to win.