SPORTS TALK

    Quarterback Jeff Orihel threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Taman Bryant with seven seconds remaining to lift Rowan past Albany, 38-37, in a wild finish on Fireworks Night at University Field last Saturday.
    Albany, competing at the NCAA Division I-AA level for the first time, rallied from a 31-9 deficit in the second half with 28 consecutive points. Cornerback Damin Waring intercepted an Orihel pass, and raced 24 yards to paydirt to give his team the lead with 45 seconds to play. But a celebration penalty left the Great Danes with a 35-yard point-after attempt, and Rowan's Cornelius   White broke through the middle to block the kick.
     Trailing 37-31, the Profs executed a perfect last-minute 54-yard march to tie the score, and Nick Frade's PAT providing the winning point. Scott Lipford set up the last drive with a 43-yard kickoff return.
     Rowan (2-0), a program which has reached the Division III national championship final in four of the last six years, built a 21-9 halftime lead. Orihel, who completed 18 of 39 passes for 364 yards and four touchdowns, connected with Lipford on a pair of long scoring passes of 70 and 74 yards in the second quarter.
     Albany quarterback Michael Oliva, who hit on 12 of 24 passes for 168 yards and two scores, engineered his team's comeback. A 19-yard touchdown throw to tailback Greg Garrett early in the fourth quarter closed the gap to 31-24.  The 5-foot-11 senior then scrambled to his left, and found split end Michael Ettz with a 24-yard scoring pass to draw his club even with 59 seconds remaining.  Ettz finished with seven receptions for a career-high 123 yards.
      “I love this team,” Oliva said. “This hurts really bad. We were so pumped during the comeback, and the crowd was into it. We made too many mistakes tonight.”
Rowan totaled 584 yards in offense in the nearly four-hour marathon. Tailback Justin Wright rushed 29 times for 234 yards, and scored on a 65-yard romp in the opening period.
     “I am at a loss for words,” Orihel explained after the dramatic finish. “To throw an interception like that, and then come back at the end is an unbelieveable experience.”

DANE NOTES:  Albany (2-1) opened its schedule with two road victories for the first time since 1987 ... the Great Danes defeated Central Connecticut State (35-13) and Monmouth (24-16) in a pair of Northeast Conference match-ups ... Mike Grever, a senior inside linebacker, and offensive tackle Jason Barra were Football Gazette preseason first-team All-America selections ... Albany hosts Stony Brook on Oct. 2 at 1:00 p.m. on Hall of Fame Day ...

Field Hockey

    Tovah Atwell had two goals and added one assist, as Albany cruised to its third straight win with a 7-1 victory over Monmouth at Albany Field last Sunday.
     Albany (3-3) jumped all over the visitors, and established a 5-0 lead with nine minutes and 54 seconds remaining in the first half. Amy DiMicco tallied the first of her two goals to open the scoring with five minutes elapsed. Atwell scored twice, including the 53rd goal of her career, within a three-minute span to push her team's advantage to 3-0.
    “It took awhile to get our transition and new formation down,” said Atwell, whose team also posted a 4-1 triumph against Rider the previous day. “Coach (Deborah) Fiore has switched people around, and has found the right combinations.”
     Three UA goalkeepers combined to make eight saves, while Jaime Urbanowicz stopped 19 shots for Monmouth. Sophomore Angie Stegel tied the school's single-game record with three goals against Rider.  Stegel broke a 1-1 deadlock two minutes before halftime to give the Great Danes the lead for good. 
     Goalkeeper Cathi Burek turned aside 13 shots in the Albany cage. “We have a young team, and there was a period of adjustment,” senior captain Chrissy Bradt said about a squad which opened the season with three losses following an overtime defeat against Georgetown.  “Our transition is quicker and our passing is sharper. We are working together.”

Fall Sports Notes
    Junior midfielder Jon Brainard has been directly responsible for the Albany's two Division I victories in men's soccer this season. Brainard scored twice, including the game-winner at 74:48, to lead his club to a 2-1 win at Niagara last Sunday. Albany (2-3-1) also knocked off Cornell, 3-2 in overtime, on Sept. 10.  Brainard took a 2-on-1 pass from Jarvin Skeete, and found the net with 2:10 left in the extra period.
     In softball, shortstop Valerie Terry singled twice and drove in two runs to lift Albany to a 5-4 victory over Connecticut in the Binghamton tournament championship on Sept. 12. The Great Danes defeated Cornell, Oneonta State and Mansfield on their way to the final. The exhibition tournament was part of the Albany program's preparation for its first Division I schedule in the spring of 2000.