TROY, NY – In the 104th meeting between Union and Rensselaer in football, the oldest collegiate football rivalry in New York State, the host Engineers won 24-19 at '86 Field Saturday afternoon. The Dutchmen, 7-2, ended a seven-game winning streak and finished 5-1 in the Liberty League, but had wrapped up the league' automatic NCAA bid prior to this contest. Rensselaer improved to 6-3 overall and 3-3 in the Liberty League.
Union had won the "Dutchman Shoes Trophy" in each of the past two seasons. It was the 57th time the trophy had been awarded and only the 13th time in the 57 games that Rensselaer claimed the trophy.
The NCAA Division III playoff field will be announced Sunday at 2 p.m. on ESPNEWS. Union will make its 10th appearance and second straight in the NCAA playoffs.
Rensselaer was led by RB Jay Bernardo, who had 134 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries. WR Brendan McGowan had 109 yards and a touchdown on 13 catches, while QB Jimmy Robertson was 21 for 35 for 211 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
Union senior wide receivers
Ryan Twitchell (Fayetteville, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius) and
Steve Angiletta (Plantsville, CT/Southington) each had 121 yards in receptions on the day, with Twichell making seven receptions and Angiletta posting six. It was a season high for Angiletta in his third game, while Twichell posted his fourth 100 yard receiving game of the season. Senior running back
Tom Arcidiacono (Castleton, NY/Columbia) had 115 yards on 24 rushes, giving him over 100 yards in each of Union's nine regular season games. Senior quarterback
Anthony Marotti (River Edge, NJ/River Dell) completed 17 of 37 for 268 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted three times.
Arcidiacono posted his 24th career 100 yard rushing game, and completed the regular season with a 100 yard rushing game in each of the nine games. He now has 4,909 career rushing yards, and moved into 15th all-time in NCAA Division III career rushing yardage. He will need 91 yards in the NCAA playoffs to become the 15th player in Division III history to record 5,000 career rushing yards.
Defensively, Union was led by LB
Kevin Flike (Stillwater, Ny/La Salle Institute). The senior captain had a game high 12 tackles, including six solo, and an interception with a pass deflection. CB Adam LoGuidice and LB Armin Warner each had nine tackles for the Engineers.
Trailing 24-12 with 14:19 left in the fourth, the Dutchmen drove 13 plays and 54 yards looking to pull closer, but Tim Rayhill intercepted a Marotti pass in the endzone with 9:38 left to end the threat. With 5:11 remaining in the stanza, Marotti completed five of six passes for 61 yards and found Twichell for a 15 yard touchdown pass with 3:55 remaining, and the kick made it 24-19. Union's ensuing onsides kick went out of bounds after eight yards, and the Engineers ran three plays before Bernardo was stopped on a 4th and 2 at the Union 35. Two plays later, Marotti's pass was tipped and intercepted by Vince Scicchita at the Union 38 and the Engineers ran out the clock.
The Dutchmen opened the scoring with a six-yard run by Arcidiacono with 12:20 left in the first period. It was his 19th rushing touchdown of the season, and it capped a five play, 67 yard drive that took 2:40. But the point after kick was blocked. RPI took the lead when Eren Savasli caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Robertson with 10:04 left in the period. It capped a six play, 64 yard drive in 2:06 and the Engineers led 7-6.
Union took what would prove to be its only lead of the game when
Ben Rapple (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) converted a 20 yard field goal attempt with 2:04 left in the first quarter. The drive consumed over half of the quarter (7:51) and took 16 plays and 75 yards. Union led 9-7 after the first stanza.
RPI scored all the points in the second quarter and led 17-9 at halftime. Drew Taranto hit a 24 yard field goal 2:59 into the quarter to cap a 13 play, 60 yard drive in 4:52. Bernardo ran in from one yard out with 34 seconds left in the half to wrap up a six play, 37 yard drive in 1:36.
Rapple's 20 yard field goal with 1:35 left in the third quarter pulled the Dutchmen to within five at 17-12 in a seven play, 69 yard drive that took 3:53. But Brendan McGowan caught a two yard pass from Robertson 30 seconds into the fourth quarter for the 24-12 lead, with a six play, 42 yard drive in 1:52.
Union posted 411 total yards in offense, while the Engineers had 378.
