Football remains in first place after barely holding on to defeat St. Lawrence in overtime
Ian Clemente
Issue date: 10/22/09 Section: Sports
St. Lawrence played their hearts out at Leckonby Stadium, but Union eventually found theirs. The question is, however, whether playing with heart will be enough.
Although Union (4-0 in league, 5-1 overall) pulled out a dramatic 20-17 win in overtime over St. Lawrence (2-4, 1-2) last Saturday, thus remaining the only undefeated team in the Liberty League, inconsistency on both sides of the ball made it a challenge to defeat a team that many believe should have been beaten much more easily.
Defense was the name of the game in the first half as both offensive sides struggled to move the ball through the air, with JP Kearney of St. Lawrence going 4-of-14 and Union quarterback Andrew Connolly going 4-of-15 with an interception. However, St. Lawrence had a field day on the ground, rushing for a season-high 265 rushing yards in the first half, including 164 in the first half.
Nevertheless, Union's tough defense, led by 11 tackles and team-high 6 solo stops by John Peters, held two long St. Lawrence drives to field goals attempts from 41 and 25 yards out - both of which were kicked wide left by Christopher Dris. Noteworthy was Cam Johnson's forced fumble at midfield just before halftime, which stopped St. Lawrence's final major drive of the half.
On the other side of the ball, at the tail end of an eight-play, 57-yard drive, running back Chris Coney made up for a lost fumble earlier in the second quarter, punching the ball in from 1 yard out with 4:35 left in the half. The key play was a 4th-and-7 gamble, on which Connolly and receiver Justin Gallo connected for a 28-yard scamper that landed Union in St. Lawrence's red zone for the first time.
The third quarter showed terrible efficiency on both sides of the ball for the Dutchmen. Connolly continued to struggle against a stingy St. Lawrence defense led by linebacker Ben Cryts, who intercepted the Union QB at the Union 39-yard line, which eventually led to a score by tailback Connor Hackett from the five-yard-line (carrying two defenders) that tied the game 7-7.
Although Union (4-0 in league, 5-1 overall) pulled out a dramatic 20-17 win in overtime over St. Lawrence (2-4, 1-2) last Saturday, thus remaining the only undefeated team in the Liberty League, inconsistency on both sides of the ball made it a challenge to defeat a team that many believe should have been beaten much more easily.
Defense was the name of the game in the first half as both offensive sides struggled to move the ball through the air, with JP Kearney of St. Lawrence going 4-of-14 and Union quarterback Andrew Connolly going 4-of-15 with an interception. However, St. Lawrence had a field day on the ground, rushing for a season-high 265 rushing yards in the first half, including 164 in the first half.
Nevertheless, Union's tough defense, led by 11 tackles and team-high 6 solo stops by John Peters, held two long St. Lawrence drives to field goals attempts from 41 and 25 yards out - both of which were kicked wide left by Christopher Dris. Noteworthy was Cam Johnson's forced fumble at midfield just before halftime, which stopped St. Lawrence's final major drive of the half.
On the other side of the ball, at the tail end of an eight-play, 57-yard drive, running back Chris Coney made up for a lost fumble earlier in the second quarter, punching the ball in from 1 yard out with 4:35 left in the half. The key play was a 4th-and-7 gamble, on which Connolly and receiver Justin Gallo connected for a 28-yard scamper that landed Union in St. Lawrence's red zone for the first time.
The third quarter showed terrible efficiency on both sides of the ball for the Dutchmen. Connolly continued to struggle against a stingy St. Lawrence defense led by linebacker Ben Cryts, who intercepted the Union QB at the Union 39-yard line, which eventually led to a score by tailback Connor Hackett from the five-yard-line (carrying two defenders) that tied the game 7-7.
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