Box Score
SCHENECTADY, NY – Junior running back Chris Coney ran for 138 yards and three touchdowns to lead Union College to a 20-15 Liberty League victory over RPI Saturday at Frank Bailey Field. The Dutchmen now are 5-0 in the league and 6-2 overall, while the Engineers fell to 2-3 in the league and 4-3 overall.
The victory was the 46th time in 60 games that Union won The Dutchman Shoes Trophy, presented to the winner of this game in the state's oldest collegiate rivalry. It is also Union's 79th win in the 107 career meetings. Union snapped a three game series losing streak with the triumph.
Senior linebacker John Peters had nine tackles to give him 101 on the season. Peters, the leading tackler in the league, became the eighth Dutchman in history to record 100 tackles in a season.
Andrew Connolly was six for 12 for 59 yards and did not throw an interception for Union, while Justin Gallo had two catches for 30 yards. Steve Modliszewski had a game high 12 tackles and Richard Sixto, Jr. recorded 11 tackles for Union.
Junior running back Nick Costa (Yonkers, NY) had 88 yards on 21 rushes for RPI, while freshman quarterback Mike Hermann (Hardeeville, SC) passes for 209 yards and touchdown, while completing 21 on 36 attempts without an interception. Senior defensive back Joe Albano (Dalton, MA) had 10 tackles for RPI. The Dutchmen had 264 yards in offense while RPI posted 363.
Union opened the scoring when Coney ran in from 15 yards out with 9:34 remaining in the first quarter. It capped an eight play, 53 yard drive that took just 2:39. He had 22 yards rushing on the drive. But the extra point attempt was blocked and the lead was 6-0, Union.
RPI started a drive with 4:32 remaining in the quarter and the 13 play, 47 yard drive that took 4:44 was converted by a 31 yard field goal by Peter Nilson (Appleton, WI) 12 seconds into the second quarter. Union's lead was trimmed to 6-3.
Union took the lead for good at 13-3 on a long drive that took 6:07 off the clock. The Dutchmen started at their own eight yard line and converted two third down plays and one fourth down play. The fourth down play came when RPI was called for roughing the kicker when an Engineer ran into punter Blaise Ancona inside the Union 20. Coney had a 31 yard run during the drive and his 13 yard rush with 5:28 left, along with the PAT, made it 13-3.
Hermann hit Ray Davis (Worcester, MA) with a 19 yard touchdown pass with 11:30 left in the fourth to pull RPI back within three at 13-10. The five play, 46 yard drive took 2:14.
In the fourth, Nilson nailed a 38 yard field goal to tie the contest at 13-13. The seven play, 30 yard drive took 3:19 and started late in the third period. But Union took the ensuing kickoff and drove nine plays and 74 yards in 5:08, and Coney scored his third of the day with a 13 yard rush with 8:07 left in the fourth. Connolly converted two key third downs during the drive.
With 4:32 remaining, RPI started from its own 42. Hermann drove the Engineers 10 plays down to the Union 14 with 1:28 left to play, but on a fourth and one, he was stopped for no gain by Peter Haviland-Eduah and #Richard Sixto, Jr.#. Union took over and on a fourth and 12 from the 12 with 28 seconds remaining, Connolly ran through the endzone to produce the safety, then Union kicked away and gave RPI the ball with just 14 seconds left from the Engineer-45. The final three plays were incompletions and the Dutchmen remained the only undefeated team in the league.
Union is now 79-24-4 in the series according to Union records, and 45-15 in the 60 presentations of The Dutchman Shoes Trophy. The Dutchmen play at Merchant Marine November 7 while RPI will play at Hobart.
