Union 21, WPI 17
Box
Score
Schenectady, NY --- Chris Coney (Fort
Lauderdale, FL) rushed for 153 yards and a pair of touchdowns to
help Union defeat visiting WPI 21-17 in a Liberty League football
matchup on Saturday evening. With the result, Union (3-1
overall, 2-0 LL) is the only undefeated team after just two weeks
of play. The Engineers slip to 3-2 on the season and 0-2 in
conference play.
WPI registered the only points of the first quarter when
Cody Beckel's (Jupiter, FL) 25-yard field goal
capped a 8-play, 72-yard drive with 1:47 left in the stanza.
Coney notched touchdown scores 1 and 3 yards on the next two
Dutchmen possessions to give Union a 14-3 advantage.
The Engineers cut into the Union advantage before halftime when
Mike Swanton (Foxboro, MA) found R.C.
Grady (Shirley, MA) with a 2-yard touchdown pass on fourth
down. The Crimson and Gray avoided trouble in the
waning seconds when freshman Elante Moore
(Alexandria, VA) forced a Union fumble that was recovered
by Justin Deveau (Lowell, MA) at the WPI
2.
After a scoreless third period, each team scored in the final
quarter as a result of long scoring drives. The hosts
finished off a 93-yard drive with a 2-yard Jared
Gourrier (New Orleans, LA) touchdown jaunt on the opening
play of the fourth quarter before WPI responded with a 69-yard
drive that culminated in a Swanton 3-yard touchdown scamper three
minutes later. WPI would get the ball back two more times but
could only muster one first down the rest of the way.
Swanton led the way for the Engineers, rushing 17 times for 61
yards while completing 13-of-23 pass attempts for 162 yards.
Jack Mulhern (Worcester, MA) spearheaded the
defensive effort with a career-best 16 tackles. Tom
Thackeray (Braintree, MA) was credited with nine tackles
while Michael Oliveri (Milford, MA) chipped in
with eight stops.
Union quarterback Drew Connolly (Foxboro, MA)
was effective. The sophomore connected on 12-of-19 passes for
237 yards. Michael Miller (Killington, VT)
and Tim Romano (Westport, CT) combined for five
sacks while John Peters (Clarks Summit, PA)
amassed a team-best 10 tackles.
Both teams are back in action with home games next
Saturday. WPI hosts US Merchant Marine at 4pm while Union
entertains Hobart at 2pm.
