ITHACA, NY – A handful of turnovers were the downfall of the Union College football team, as Union fell, 20-3, to Ithaca in a Liberty League conference game with postseason implications on Saturday afternoon at Butterfield Stadium.
 
Ithaca had 346 yards in offense, but unnecessary changes in possession were the reason Ithaca came out with the victory in the game. Union conceded five turnovers altogether which included an interception, two fumbles, and two missed fourth down conversions.
 
Union was led by senior captain and running back Connor Kinzelmann, who totaled 98 yards on 24 carries. Kinzelmann accounted for over 50-percent of Union's 188 offensive yards. Kinzelmann also took seven snaps at quarterback in the wildcat formation against the Bombers.
 
Pat Ryan led Union in receiving with 38 yards on three catches, including a 31 yard grab. Nick Cascione had nine completions in 19 attempts for 83 yards with one interception. Jake Lombardo led Union in tackles with 11.
 
Much like the last game the Dutchmen played against Hobart, the game started slowly as neither team scored during the first quarter. The first quarter scoring drought was due to Union's running game, driving the team down the field on their opening possession; a strategy that limited both Union and Ithaca to one possession in the first quarter.
 
At the start of the second quarter, Union continued its dominance on the ground and drove into Ithaca territory to set up a Jonathan Schaible 29-yard field goal that capped a 22-play drive.
 
On Ithaca's ensuing possession, the Bombers drove into Union territory, but Lombardo made a key touchdown-saving tackle on Ithaca receiver Andrew Vito short of the goal line, forcing Ithaca to settle for a field goal that tied the game at three with 7:24 left in the second quarter.
 
The following Union possession, the Dutchmen were forced to go for it on fourth down, but a Cascione pass to Griffin Beal fell incomplete.
 
After the Union turnover, Ithaca began to drive down the field using quick passes to negate Union's pass rush. The Union pressure eventually got to Ithaca, however, as Vincent DiCaterino sacked Ithaca quarterback Wahid Nabi on back-to-back plays. DiCaterino's pressure forced Ithaca to punt to Union with three seconds left in the half.
 
On the Bombers' first possession of the new half, Nabi threw a deep 52-yard pass to Vito that helped set up a 33-yard field goal that put Ithaca up 6-3 with 6:15 left in the third quarter.
 
Ithaca and Union spent the rest of the third quarter and much of the fourth quarter in a battle of field position that resulted in Ithaca punting three times and Union punting twice over the next six drives.
 
Union regained possession with 11:03 left in the game, down by three points with a chance to win.
 
During that drive, Union continued to run with Kinzelmann—who ended up two yards shy of 100 on the ground—but the Dutchmen found themselves going for it on fourth down once again. Kinzelmann got the first down on a play that can be described as nothing but a remarkable individual second effort to get the first down.
 
Unfortunately, Union's momentum ground to a halt when the Dutchmen fumbled on a play where Kinzelmann's knee's appeared to be down. The Bombers turned the fumble into points on the ensuing possession, going up 13-3 with 4:57 left in the fourth quarter.
 
The handling errors continued as Union fumbled on the following kickoff, giving Ithaca the opportunity to wind the clock down and seal a victory. Ithaca did exactly that as a long drive ended in a 16-yard touchdown.
 
The final score gave Ithaca a 17-point lead with only 1:30 remaining. The game ended with an incomplete pass on fourth down on Union's final possession, allowing Ithaca to kneel and run out the clock.
 
Other Notables: Tucker Newman was second in tackles with 10, and he also forced a fumble. Jason Nelson was third in tackles with nine. DiCaterino added two to his league-leading sack total that now stands at 10.
 
The Dutchmen return to Frank Bailey Field on Saturday, Nov. 11, for a 12 p.m. (ET) game against rival Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.