SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College football team scored the first 34 points of the game to put away St. Lawrence University early and cruise to a 44-12 victory in the teams' Liberty League opener on Saturday evening at Frank Bailey Field at Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium.
 
Senior Patch Flanagan had another efficient game leading the Union offense, completing 16-of-26 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns while also pacing the team with 86 rushing yards on seven attempts. Junior Cole Brisson also went 2-for-2 for 22 yards while running four times for 43 yards and a score, while senior Gil Rivera led the receiving corps with seven catches for 92 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Union (2-2, 1-0 Liberty League).
 
The Union defensive unit had an excellent game, limiting St. Lawrence (1-3, 0-1 Liberty League) to 172 total yards and just 29 yards on 27 rushing attempts. Sophomore John Droggitis had a team-best seven tackles and junior Daniel O'Leary had a team-leading two sacks, while first-year Terrence Hanratty forced a fumble and sophomore Aldrich Boakye returned a fumble 27 yards for a scoop and score.
 
Union set the tone early on Saturday, taking a 14-0 lead less than four minutes into the game. The Garnet Chargers got the ball first and went 75 yards in eight plays, finished off by a two-yard touchdown run by junior Michael Dinardo. On the subsequent kickoff, Hanratty forced Matt Ciesielski to cough up the ball and it flew right into the hands of Boakye, who took it 27 yards for the second Union score in nine seconds.
 
After punts on the next five possessions, Union reached the end zone on its final three drives before halftime to create plenty of separation. The home team took over at midfield on its first possession of the second quarter and quickly went 51 yards in five plays, finished off with a 19-yard touchdown catch by Rivera. After first-year Trey Rezendes III picked off a pass in the endzone to get the ball back, Union followed with its longest drive of the day, going 80 yards in 12 plays, with more than half of that yardage coming on back-to-back passes to junior Joe Curran (12 yards) and Rivera (30 yards). Getting the ball back with 55 seconds left, Flanagan needed only two plays to reach paydirt again, connecting with junior Owen Corrigan on passes of 11 and 42 yards for Corrigan's first collegiate touchdown.
 
Sophomore Francesco Pileggi drilled a 23-yard field goal on Union's first possession of the third quarter to put the Garnet Chargers up 37-6 after 45 minutes. Brisson led the team's final touchdown drive of the day, accounting for 41 yards on the ground and 22 through the air and capping the drive with a 16-yard run to the endzone with 7:11 left.
 
Union finished the day with 504 yards of total offense, rushing for 246 yards (6.0 yards per rush) and throwing for 258 (8.6 yards per attempt).
 
Union will be back in action next Saturday with a 4 p.m. matchup at Buffalo State.