If you wonder why Albany football is off to its best start since 1979 at 4-0, look no farther than the team’s defense for an answer. Its latest statement was made in a 17-7 triumph at Rensselaer on Sept. 28; a victory that avenged the 34-point thrashing Albany took from the Engineers a year ago.

“That was motivation,” said senior free safety Ted Bearor, who has 35 tackles and a team-leading three interceptions this season. “The 41-7 speaks for itself . . . It’s a new year.”

And what it year it has been so far for Bearor and his fellow Albany defenders. The Great Danes have limited the opposition to 10.3 points per game, and have not allowed a touchdown pass to date. In fact, Rensselaer’s offense was held to 192 yards total, including just 30 via the pass. The turnaround has been significant, when you consider the Danes were giving up nearly 30 points per contest at this point in the season last year.

“We are a very hungry team,” said junior quarterback Joe Savino, who tossed a five-yard scoring pass to tight end Seth Thomas in the third quarter, and became the school’s career leader in TD passes with 26. Freshman tailback Greg Garrett added to Savino’s record-breaking afternoon with 25 carries for 70 rushing yards and two pass receptions for 39.

Meanwhile, sophomore defensive end Matt Caliandro continues to emerge as a dominant player. Just a special-teams man as a freshman, he totaled a career high 10 tackles, two pass deflections, and his first career interception in the fourth quarter.

The defense also came up big the previous weekend at St. Lawrence in a 14-8 cliffhanger. Dane defenders stopped the Saints on the Albany four-yard line with 45 seconds remaining. Two touchdowns were wiped out by penalties, and the Great Danes were flagged 13 times for 123 yards. “I don’t know how we survived,” said head coach Bob Ford, whose 1974 and 1979 teams were the only other Albany clubs with better starts.

Garrett set a freshman single-game rushing record with 150 yards on 22 carries, and scored on a six-yard scamper in the second quarter.

Albany, off for two weeks, meets Union on Saturday, Oct. 12, at home date for what is both Homecoming and Parents’ Weekend on campus. Kickoff at University Field is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

Frosh Fleet in X-Country

Tonya Dodge continues to set the pace for the women’s cross country team, with a course record in winning a triangular meet at East Stroudsburg on Sept. 14. Dodge, who sat out this past weekend’s Cortland Invitational to nurse a minor leg injury, covered the 3,000-meter route in 18:20.

With Dodge out, Albany finished 15th in the team standings at Cortland. Freshman Andrea Viger placed 14th overall in 19:25.

Another freshman has led the men’s team the last two Saturdays, Todd Weiss finishing 35th at the Cortland Invitational in 26:39 over 8000 meters, and fourth versus East Stroudsburg. Albany ended up 10th at Cortland with 25 schools competing.

Field Hockey A Straight Six

Field Hockey rans its record to 6-0, and is now ranked third in the latest NCAA Division II North Region poll. Sophomore Niki Berman, recently returned from illness, scored off a penalty stroke midway through the first half, and Jen Cordes found the cage three minutes before halftime in UA’s 2-1 victory at C.W. Post on Sept. 28. The UA defense allowed just three goals in the month of September.

Freshman Netter Bounces Way Back

Freshman Julie Bliss turned some heads by reaching the consolation final in singles at the ITA-Rolex Division II East Region Tournament in Pleasantville over the weekend. After dropping a three-set decision to the tournament’s No. 4 seed, who has an 8-3 record this fall, dispatched three opponents in straight sets to reach Sunday’s consolation final, before losing to Queens’ Lauren Goldman, 7-5 and 6-1.

Albany has a 4-2 dual-match record, and won at St. Rose, 7-2, on Sept. 25.

Tom Mason scored two goals and Jomo Forrester added one goal and two assists, as Albany rolled to a 5-1 New England Collegiate Conference victory at Massachusetts-Lowell on Sept. 28.

Mason snapped a 1-1 deadlock with one minute gone in the second half, when he scored on a header off Forrester’s crossing pass. Forrester, a senior midfielder, found the net again just seven minutes later to increase the Great Danes’ lead to 3-1. Jeff Lopriore and Mason added two more goals to the scoring parade.

Albany (5-4) climbed back into the Northeast Region’s Top 10 Poll with the victory. The Great Danes had suffered consecutive setbacks to a pair of nationally-ranked teams, New Hampshire College (#5) and Dowling (#14), in their previous matches.

Albany ended a five-match losing streak with victories over LeMoyne (2-0) and Massachusetts-Lowell (3-1, OT) last week.

Kristen Mulhern and Jen Barry each scored in the extra period to lift the Danes to their first New England Collegiate Conference win at Massachusetts-Lowell. Mulhern broke a 1-1 tie with her first goal as a collegian, before Barry added another score for insurance.

On Sept. 25, Michelle Brogan and Chris Tokarz scored in each half to end a three-game stretch where Albany was held scoreless.

Rafaela Nikas was selected as the New England Collegiate Conference Player of the Week on Sept. 23, after she recorded a career-high 23 kills and had 18 digs in a NECC victory at Sacred Heart.

Albany hosted the Great Dane Invitational last weekend at University Gym. Pace won the ’96 title with a four-game victory over LeMoyne. The Great Danes were knocked off in the semifinals by the eventual champion by scores of 15-11, 14-16, 15-1 and 15-9.