Sports Talk
By Brian DePasquale
Football
Ryan Roeder ran for one touchdown and Marcus Rotondi passed for another score in leading unbeaten Albany to a 28-6 non-conference victory over Canisius on Saturday, Oct. 6, at Demske Sports Complex. The Great Danes are off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 1979.

Albany scored on its second possession, as Roeder directed his team on a seven-play drive. Roeder, who completed 7 of 10 attempts, hit Jay McFarlane with a 38-yard pass to set up his two-yard touchdown run with 6:13 left in the period.

Rotondi, who alternates at quarterback, and connected on 6 of 7 passes for 105 yards, then gave the Great Danes a 14-0 lead. He fired a three-yard scoring pass to tight end Greg Sigler on a fourth-down play.

The score remained the same well into the third quarter as the two teams battled against harsh elements, with a steady 25 mile-per-hour wind and temperatures falling through the 40s as the game progressed.

Fullback Jon George rumbled over the left side from one-yard out to complete an 11-play march. McFarlane, who hauled in six receptions for a career-high 129 yards, had the key play in the scoring sequence with a 41-yard reception to the Canisius 11. Tailback Brian Manigault’s seven-yard dash with 8:06 left in the final stanza handed Albany a 28-0 lead.

“We played solid despite the wind and cold,” said Rotondi, whose team gave head coach Bob Ford his 175th career victory at the school. “It was hard to throw against the wind and that limited what we could do offensively. We played well enough to win, but at the same time we know we have a lot of work to do to get ready for Sacred Heart in two weeks.”

Canisius (0-4) broke up the shutout with 4:19 remaining as reserve quarterback Adam Fatzinger drilled a ten-yard touchdown pass to running back Frank Corigliano. The Golden Griffins, who were limited to 186 total yards, have lost 24 straight, the longest streak among NCAA Division I-AA teams.

Men’s Soccer
Junior defender Ryan Bombard scored the game-winning goal five minutes into the second half, lifting Albany to a 1-0 America East Conference victory over New Hampshire on Sunday, Oct. 7, at Varsity Field.

After a scoreless opening stanza, Albany (6-3, AE 3-0) tallied the lone strike when Bombard’s 25-yard cross attempt from the left side was redirected by the wind and curled into the far right post.

New Hampshire (4-4-1, AE 2-1) was unable to capitalize on several second-half opportunities. With 13:13 remaining in the contest, Albany goalkeeper Trevor Serraro made a diving stop of Ryan DiNunzio’s penalty kick directed at the lower left corner of the net. Serraro totaled nine saves and recorded his second consecutive shutout.

The Great Danes, who remained undefeated in conference play and have won five of their last six outings, have not surrendered a goal over their last three contests, a feat that was last accomplished in 1995.

Cross Country
Senior Jamie Rodriguez finished sixth among 274 runners to lead UAlbany to a seventh-place showing in the men’s team competition at the 28th annual Paul Short Run at Lehigh University’s Goodman Cross Country Course on Saturday, Oct. 6. Albany also finished 17th in a 39-team women’s field.

Rodriguez, who was the seventh-place finisher in last year’s race, covered the 8,000-meter course in 24:59.81. Connecticut’s Daniel Wilson was the individual champion, finishing more than 10 seconds ahead of Villanova’s Adrian Blincoe, with a time of 24:19.33. The Great Danes placed four runners in the top 60, including freshman Andy Allstadt (36th), senior Adam Rice (50th) and sophomore Joe Pienta (55th).

In the women’s race, sophomore Jessica Walton finished the 6,000-meter event in 22:09.56, placing her 27th overall. Rhode Island’s Erin Silvering took the women’s individual title, while Penn State captured both the men’s and women’s team titles.

The Great Danes host the 35th annual Albany Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 13, on campus. The men’s event begins at 11 a.m., while the women follow at 12 noon.

Women’s Golf
Anna Jepson fired rounds of 77 and 74 to lead Yale to the team title for the second consecutive year at the fifth annual Princeton Invitational on Oct. 6-7. The 36-hole tournament was played at Springdale Golf Course, a par-72, 5,813-yard layout.

UAlbany finished in 15th place among 20 teams. Freshman Jill Friedman tied for 33rd with scores of 84 and 89 for a two-round total of 173. Diane Onofry tied for 51st with 177 (93-84).

Jepson won medalist honors by two strokes over Princeton’s Esty Dwek, who fired a two-day tournament score of 153 (79-74). Yale had 635 strokes, and was four shots better than Princeton and six lower than William & Mary.

Catch Great Dane Basketball Fever
The Alumni Office is offering packages to UAlbany faculty, staff, and alumni for the November 27 basketball game against Siena, and against Syracuse on December 2. Both games are at the Pepsi Arena.

Tickets for the game against Siena are $25 per person, which includes the pregame celebration at Jillian’s at 5 p.m., followed by the Renewal of the Rivalry game at the Pepsi.

Tickets for the game against Syracuse are $35 per person, including the pregame celebration at the Pepsi, which begins at 1:30 p.m. Game time is 3 p.m.

Space is limited for both games, which are expected to sell out quickly. The prices do not include the cost of parking at the Pepsi. R.S.V.P. by November 2 to 442-3080.

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