RPI football outlasts Utica College 35-33 under the lights

TROY, N.Y. - Senior defensive back Joey Gutowski broke up the potential game-tying two-point conversion with 19seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) football team defeated Utica College 35-33 in a non-conference game at East Campus Stadium. RPI improves to 2-1, while the Pioneers fall to 2-1. Trailing by eight points with 2:57 to play in regulation, Utica gained possession on its own 33-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Logan Wilcox followed with six completions with the last one being a 1-yard touchdown in the flat to senior Peyton Miller that pulled the Pioneers to within two. Wilcox’s conversion pass was on target to Miller on the left side, but Gutowski came in with his left hand and knocked the ball to the ground. Utica’s onside kick was recovered by the Engineers, who ran out the clock. For Utica on defense, junior linebacker Kwasi Addo (Menands/ Shaker H.S.) recorded two solo tackles and six assists, junior defensive lineman Shane Walpole (Mechanicville/Shenendehowa H.S.) recorded two assists. Junior punter/ kicker Maki Medici (Watervliet/ Shaker H.S.) had six punts Saturday night for Utica College, averaging 38.3yards wtih his longest, 48yards along with hitting two field goals at 22and 43-yards, respectively. The Pioneer’s roster also includes Section 2locals sophomore linebacker Josh Bennett (Watervliet/Shaker H.S.), freshman kicker Mitch Carly (Clifton Park/ Shenendehowa.H.S.), junior wide receiver Ezra Echeandia (Stillwater/Stillwater H.S.), sophomore fullback Nick Krause (Clifton Park/ Shenendehowa.H.S.) and senior quarterback Ryan VanGalen (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa.H.S.). UALBANY FOOTBALL ROUTS LAFAYETTE 36-7 Donovan McDonald returned the opening kickoff 98yards for a touchdown to set the tone in the University at Albany football team’s 36-7rout of Lafayette on Saturday, Sept. 21, at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium. Redshirt freshman quarterback Jeff Undercuffler threw four TD passes and Karl Mofor ran for a career-high 135yards as the University at Albany football team rolled past Lafayette, 36-7, at Casey Stadium. In its final nonconference game before the start of CAA play, the Great Danes jumped out to a 22-0halftime lead. Grad student and safety Josh Wynn (Albany/Christian Brothers Academy) had two solo tackles and four assists for the Danes. Grad student and defensive lineman Nick Griffin (Loudonville/Shaker H.S.) had a tackle and two assists on the afternoon. Red-shirt freshman quarterback and defender Joe Casale (Troy/Troy H.S.) had two assisted tackles for UAlbany. Red-shirt junior Luke Thompson (Saratoga Springs/Saratoga Springs H.S.) added an assisted tackle for the Great Danes. Red-shirt senior left guard Griffin Clancy (Saratoga Springs/Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) and senior center Niko Culnan (Albany/Colonie H.S.) were part of the Great Danes offensive unit in the win. Section 2alums also on the UAlbany roster include: red-shirt freshman punter/kicker Luke Clement (Albany/Catholic Central H.S.), sophomore wide-receiver Dev Holmes (Troy/Troy H.S.), red-shirt freshman offensive lineman Mobab Omar (Latham/Shaker H.S.). UAlbany is home again Saturday, Sept. 28, when it hosts William & Mary in its CAA opener at Casey Stadium. Kickoff is 3:30p.m. for the annual “Pink Game.” NO. 15 WESLEY DROPS ENDICOTT, 20-1 BEVERLY, Mass. – Senior kicker Nick Bruhn (Burke, Va.) drilled home a 27-yard field goal with two seconds remaining in the contest to lift No. 15 nationally ranked Wesley past Endicott, 20-17, on Saturday afternoon at Hempstead Stadium. Tied 17-17with 2:00minutes left in the matchup, the Wolverines orchestrated a 10-play, 48-yard game-winning drive from its own 42-yard-line, mostly behind the arm of senior quarterback Jon Mullin (Bayonne, N.J.). Senior defensive back Jesse Simoni (East Greenbush/Columbia H.S.) had seven solo tackles and two assists in the loss for Endicott.

CROSS COUNTRY

RPI MEN CAPTURE FRED PAVLICH INVITE ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. The nationally-ranked Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) cross country teams made their 2019 debuts at the Fred Pavlich Invitational hosted by Bard College and both squads finished in the top 3. Rensselaer’s men’s team, which is ranked No. 15in Division III, won the 12-school meet, while the No. 10women’s team finished third of 12. The Engineers men had six of the top 9finishers and 10of the first 19who crossed the line, led by sophomore Brandon Marks, who averaged a 5:19 mile pace, was third after running the 8K course in 26:25.7. He trailed the top two finishers by nine and two seconds, respectively. The winner, Dillon Vandemortel of SUNY Cobleskill, ran a 26:14.6and the runner-up, Miles Takiguchi of Vassar, finished in 26:23.7. Sophomore harrier Frank Triolo (Gansevoort/ South Glens Falls H.S.) ran the 8,000-meter course in 27minutes, 41.8for the Engineers. UALBANY WOMEN 18TH, MEN 21ST AT BATTLE IN BEANTOWN The UAlbany cross country team took its only trip to Boston this season, competing in the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown for their second meet of the year. The UAlbany women finished 18th overall with 508 points with the men’s squad finishing 21st with 642points, respectively. Mercedes Planavsky (Ballston Spa/Ballston Spa H.S/HVCC) ran a season best in the event. On the men’s side, sophomore Jake Johnson (Albany/Colonie H.S.) ran a season best. The UAlbany cross country roster includes Section 2harriers senior Matthew JeanPierre (Latham/Shaker H.S.), senior Joey Somerville (Wynantskill/Columbia H.S), Olivia Leonard (Waterford) and Kayla Wheeler (Clifton Park/ Shenendehowa H.S.) UAlbany will visit Lehigh on Oct. 5for the Paul Short Invitational.

FIELD HOCKEY

#20 UALBANY WINS THIRD STRAIGHT, 6-0 OVER BROWN Five different Great Danes scored and the No. 20UAlbany field hockey team shutout Brown, 6-0, on the road in non-conference action. Junior Katie MacCallum led the squad with two goals, while seniors Dana Bozek and Baylee Burghardt, junior Cosima Rocktaeschel and sophomore Elaina Burchell added to the scoresheet with one goal apiece. Led by senior goalkeeper Melissa Nealon (Mechanicville/Shenendehowa H.S.) the Great Danes have their shutout opponents in back-toback matches. Over that two-game span, UAlbany has outscored its opponents 10-0. Sophomore goalie Sheridan Messier (Waterford/Shenendehowa H.S.) came on in relief, playing the final quarter and not facing a shot. Junior defender Carli Pelletier (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa H.S.) started for the Great Danes as freshman defender Lillian Hickey (Hoosick Falls/Hoosick Falls H.S.) came off the bench in the win. RPI FALLS TO STEVENS, 2-1 TROY, N.Y. - Stevens Institute of Technology scored two second half goals to overcome a halftime deficit and defeat Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) 2-1in a non-league field hockey game at Harkness Field. The Ducks improve their winning streak to three games and are now 5-3. The Engineers fall to 0-7. Junior attack Sydney Luke (Eagle Bridge/Hoosick Falls H.S.) started the contest for the Engineers. Sophomore attack Jessie House (Saratoga Springs/Saratoga Springs H.S.) entered the contest as a substitute. The Engineers are on the road at nationally-ranked Vassar College next Saturday (1p.m.) in its first Liberty League contest. SAGE DROPS EMPIRE 8 OPENER TO NAZARETH 1-0 Rochester, NY—The Sage Colleges’ field hockey team travelled to Nazareth College on Saturday afternoon for the team’s Empire 8opener. Nazareth squeaked out a 1-0win over the Gators to improve to 4-3overall and 1-0in the league, while Sage drops to 2-5overall and 0-1in the Empire 8. Freshman forward Emily Schoop (Hoosick Falls/Hoosick Falls H.S.) is part of the Gator’s field hockey squad.

MEN’S SOCCER

RPI PUSHES WIN STREAK TO SIX GAMES GENESEO, N.Y. – Freshman Josh Gaudiano had a hand in all three goals to lead the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men’s soccer team to a 3-1victory at SUNY Geneseo, Saturday afternoon at College Stadium. With the win – their sixth straight – the Engineers improve to 7-1, while the Knights drop to 4-3. Section 2standouts junior forward Dante Boyd (Troy/Troy H.S.) and freshman midfielder Ben Kogan (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa H.S.) are part of the Engineers roster. SAGE FALLS TO ELMIRA 1-0 IN EMPIRE 8 OPENER Albany, NY — The Sage Colleges’ men’s soccer team hosted the Soaring Eagles of Elmira College in the 2019Empire 8opener for both teams. The visiting Soaring Eagles got the only score of the contest as sophomore forward Mark Brado Jr. scored at 21:20for a 1-0victory at the Albany College of Pharmacy Saturday afternoon. Elmira is now 5-2-1overall (1-0E8) and the Gators stand 3-4 (0-1). Adam Nichols took the initial shot that was stopped by Sage sophomore keeper Lucas Bourdeau (Castleton-on-Hudson, NY/Maple Hill). But the rebound came out to Brado, Jr. near the right post and he converted his first of the season that held up for the game winner. At 49:09, Sage sophomore midfielder/forward Rafael-Enrique Holguin (Gansevort, NY/CBA) hit the crossbar on a drive. In goal for the Gators, sophomore Lucas Bourdeau (Castleton-onHudson, NY/Maple Hill) made one stop on the day. Sage had a 15-6shot advantage, with seven shots in the second period. The Gators also had seven corners to Elmira’s two, and those two both came in the first half.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

SHEN GRAD MEGHAN CAVANAUGH SCORES 2ND GOAL FOR UALBANY The University at Albany women’s soccer team played its third-straight game at home Sunday, hosting the University of Hartford for the 2019 America East opener. It was the first meeting between the teams since UAlbany upset the two-seeded Hawks in the 2019America East semifinal. Sunday, the Great Danes defeated the Hawks 2-1. Red-shirt junior Meghan Cavanaugh (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa H.S.) put UAlbany on the scoreboard quickly with a strike from deep that sailed over the Hartford goalkeeper’s head to give the Danes a 1-0lead in just the fourth minute. She finished the contest with five shots, three on frame. In the 42nd minute, freshman Leah Pais drew a foul in the Hartford box on a breakaway, drawing both a straight red card on the Hawks’ Madison Stabile, and a penalty kick. Gina Bracamonte stepped up to take the attempt, and converted to put UAlbany up 2-0heading into halftime. Junior forward Kendra Harbinger (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa H.S.) started for the Great Danes in the win. SAGE TOPS ELMIRA 6-1 IN EMPIRE 8 OPENER The Sage Colleges’ women’s soccer a 6-1road win over Elmira College to improve to 4-2overall and 1-0in the league as Elmira drops to 1-5overall and 0-1in the conference. The Gators got a game-high effort from sophomore forward Natalie Ricci (Cohoes/Cohoes H.S.) after she finished with two goals and three assists in the action for seven points. Sage led 2-0at the half after Ricci and junior Stephanie Mason (Berne/ Berne-Knox-Westerloo) each scored to help the Gators on the day. Ricci took over the Sage scoring race after her performance on Saturday. Sage took 27shots and held Elmira to 18 asr ookie keeper Kallan Shertzer (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) as she earned the win with seven saves and one goal allowed in the action. Junior midfielder/forward Lydia Malkiewicz (Schenectady/Colonie Central H.S.) registered five shots in the contest, two on frame for the Gators. Sophomore midfielder Angela Gonzalez (Hoosick Falls/Hoosick Falls H.S.) also was credited with a shot on goal for the Gators. Junior defender Emily Davenport (Schenectady/Colonie Central H.S.) was part of the Sage women’s soccer program win. Sage is back in action on September 24hosting Skidmore College in a 7 p.m. non-conference tach at ACP Stadium. RPI DROPS BARD 6-0 TROY, N.Y. – Senior Emily Kaplan recorded her first career hat trick to lead the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women’s soccer team to a 6-0victory over Bard College, on Saturday afternoon at East Campus Stadium. With the win, the Engineers improve to 3-2-2overall (1-0Liberty League), while the Raptors drop to 3-5(0-1Liberty League). RPI junior goalkeeper Kate Nadeau (Cohoes/Shaker H.S.) earned the win with her five stops on the day. Junior defender Meagan Lettko (Averill Park/Averill Park H.S.) started for the Engineers.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

SAGE OPENS WITH WIN OVER HOUGHTON Albany, NY—The Sage Colleges’ women’s tennis hosted its first-ever Empire 8match of the season. Sage posted a 6-3win over Houghton to improve to 6-1overall and 1-0in the league, while Houghton drops to 2-4 overall and 1-2in the Empire 8. With Saturday’s victory, Sage has won four consecutive matches. Houghton took first doubles on Saturday as senior Catie Moore (Prattsburg, /Prattsburg) and rookie Elise Swnason (Beamus Point/Maple Grove) beat the Gator tandem of seniors Abbey Clobridge (West Sand Lake/Averill Park) and Sadie Dunne (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa), 8-7(7-5). Clobridge posted a win at No. 1 singles, while the Sage No. 3singles player, Dunne added a win three sets for her fifth win in six matches played. The Gators roster also includes Section 2alum senior Maddison Prevost (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa H.S.).

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

SAGE SPLITS FALL FESTIVAL Albany, NY — The Sage Colleges’ women’s volleyball team hosted the Red Dragons of Oneonta State and the Vikings of Salem State University on Saturday in the final day of the Sage Fall Festival. Oneonta State posted a 3-0win (25-18, 25-21, 25-11), while the Gators beat Salem State, 3-0(26-24, 25-13, 25-13). With the 1-1day on Saturday, Sage is now 2-12on the year. Against Oneonta State, rookie defensive specialist Elaina Moisidis (Albany, NY/Albany) had seven digs and had no reception errors in her eight attempts. Against Salem State, senior captain Caitlyn Class (Waterford, NY/ Waterford-Halfmoon) had a .429 attack percentage after connecting for four kills with a block assist. The Sage College roster also includes Section 2alums junior setter Courtney Formosa (Waterford/ Waterford-Halfmoon H.S.), freshman outside hitter Samantha Garner (Troy/Troy H.S), junior setter Renee Martin (Troy/Troy H.S.) and senior middle hitter Skylar Van Alstyne (Castleton/Maple Hill H.S.).