CANTON, N.Y. – Junior Michael Fiore rushed for 126 yards and a career-high four touchdowns as the Union College football team scored the game's final 37 points in a 44-7 romp over St. Lawrence University in Liberty League action on Saturday afternoon at Leckonby Stadium.
Fiore had a big game on the ground for Union (5-1, 2-0 Liberty League), recording the most rushing touchdowns by a Dutchman since Chris Coney '11 reached the end zone four times against the University of Rochester on September 27, 2008. Led by Fiore, Union rushed for 253 yards on 47 attempts (5.4 yards per rush) and scored all six touchdowns on the ground.
Senior quarterback Donovan Pacatte returned to the field for Union and had a very efficient day, completing 14-of-16 passes for 206 yards (an average of 14.7 yards per completion). Fellow senior Ike Irabor reached the endzone for the seventh straight game dating back to the final game of 2021 and sophomore Jonathan Anderson earned his third rushing score of the year as well.
On the defensive side of the ball, Union held an opponent to under 100 rushing yards for the fifth time in six games, allowing only 68 yards on the ground and just 212 total yards. The defense also registered five sacks on the day with juniors Miguel Rodriguez and Jaden Duncan leading the way with 1.5 sacks each. Junior Spencer Goldstien recorded 10 tackles and added an interception.
After the defense forced a punt on the game's opening drive, Union got the ball on its own 12-yard line and methodically marched down the field, going 88 yards on 12 plays to reach the end zone. Fiore did much of the ground work on the drive with six rushes, but Irabor started the drive with a 14-yard run and capped it with a nine-yard scamper to put Union ahead.
St. Lawrence (2-3, 0-1 Liberty League) responded with a long drive of its own, culminating in a nine-yard touchdown catch by TJ Cornacchia to even the score with 59 seconds left in the quarter; however, it did not take long for Union to take back the lead. Back-to-back completions of 20 yards to sophomore Sha'zir Sullivan and 48 yards to senior Andre Ross Jr. quickly got the visitors into the red zone, and Fiore capped the three-play drive with a seven-yard score on the first play of the second quarter.
Union's next score was the result of strong play in all phases of the game. After a Union drive stalled at the 32-yard line, junior Andrew Lau pinned the Saints at their own four-yard line with a nice punt, and junior Ethan VanderBrink forced a fumble on the first play from scrimmage that was recovered by first-year Charles Johnson to give Union the ball in prime scoring position. Once again it only took Fiore one rush to find paydirt from four yards out to make it a 21-7 lead.
Union continued its strong play on both sides of the ball in the second half, outscoring St. Lawrence 23-0 after halftime. Anderson scored from 10 yards out late in the third quarter to make it a 31-7 game, while Fiore polished off the scoring with touchdown runs of two and six yards in the fourth frame.
Union will enjoy a bye week and return to action on October 22 when the team returns home to host Rochester. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at Frank Bailey Field at Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium.
Four for Fiore Lead Union Football Past St. Lawrence 44-7
/seasons/2022/boxscores/20221008_4rn3.xml
2022
Union
44
St. Lawrence
7
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union (5-1) | 7 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 44 |
| St. Lawrence (2-3) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Oct 08, 2022