WPI 19, Union 16
Box
Score
Worcester, MA --- Quarterback Justin Wells
(Jay, ME) connected with Will Ziegenfus (Oakland,
ME) on a two-yard touchdown pass with 5:58 remaining to lift WPI to
an exciting 19-16 homecoming victory over Union in Liberty League
football action on Saturday afternoon.
WPI, who defeated the Dutchmen for the first time since 1999,
improves to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play. Union
dips to 1-3 on the season and 0-2 in Liberty League action.
The touchdown capped an 11-play 68-yard drive for the Engineers
that took nearly six minutes off the clock. Union then
embarked on a 12-play drive of their own but saw a potential
game-tying 27-yard field goal sail just wide left with 32 seconds
remaining. Earlier, just before WPI's scoring drive, Union's
Zach Epley (Southampton, NY) had connected on a
27-yard field goal to give the Dutchman a 16-13 edge.
Wells connected on 16-of-28 passes on the day for 196 yards and
two touchdowns. He added 126 yards of rushing on 15 carries,
including a 58-yard touchdown scamper early in the third quarter
that allowed the Crimson and Gray rally from a 13-6 halftime
deficit to tie the game at 13-13.
Freshman quarterback Andrew Connelly (Foxboro,
MA) tossed a pair of first half touchdown passes for the Dutchmen,
including a 33-yard to classmate Justin Gallo
(Brunswick, NY) in the first quarter and a seven-yard scoring
strike to Jared Gourrier (New Orleans, LA) early
in the second quarter. The scores came after WPI had
opened the scoring when Wells hit Aaron Champagne
(Fairfield, ME) with a five-yard swing pass around the right
end.
John Graziosi (Attleboro, MA) led the WPI
defensive effort with 11 tackles, including three for loss, and a
forced fumble. The sophomore earned the Bob Pritchard Award
as the Most Outstanding Lineman while Wells took the honor as the
Most Outstanding Back. Adam Power
(Tewkesbury, MA) and Stefan Nicotra (Wyoming, RI)
also distinguished themselves with 10 and nine tackles
respectively.
The Dutchmen received an outstanding performance from tailback
Chris Coney (Ft. Lauderdale, FL). The
sophomore rushed for a game-high 127 yards on 32 carries.
Kevin Rautenstrauch (West Seneca, NY) led the
Union defensive charge with 11 tackles while Joe
Catalano (Albany, NY) chipped in with seven stops.
Conner Conn (Wantagh, NY) notched the only sack of
the day for either squad.
WPI returns to the gridiron on Saturday in a 4:00pm conference
matchup against the Merchant Marine Academy. Union is also
back in action on Saturday, playing Hobart in a 1:00pm game.
