Danes Get First Football Win

Senior quarterback Joe Savino passed for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead Albany to a 42-0 victory over Sacred Heart in the Eastern Football Conference opener for both teams on Saturday.

Savino, who completed 13 of 18 passes for 153 yards in less than three quarters, scored on a one-yard sneak to cap a 63-yard march, and then fired a 32-yard touchdown strike to split end Dan Gmelin for a 14-0 lead with 3:20 left in the first quarter.

Albany (1-1) scored on a pair of short drives in the second quarter for a 28-0 halftime advantage. Sophomore tailback Greg Garrett, who carried 11 times for 64 yards, scored on a five-yard option pitch with 13:40 left in the third period, and then powered over left tackle for another 5-yard TD run on the Danes’ next possession.

Savino had suffered through a four-interception day in the week before’s losing opener to Southern Connecticut, but he was extremely sharp on Saturday, once scrambling after rolling out to his right, then finding tight end Seth Thomas in the right side of the end zone for a 7-yard TD strike early in the third stanza. Freshman fullback Ben Kelcey also reached paydirt on a 12-yard scamper with 8:22 left in that period.

“You could not ask for anything more from your opening game at home,” said Savino, who has 5,309 career yards in total offense, and just needs 90 more to become the school’s all-time leader. “We came out and put the ball in the end zone, and the defense shut them down.”

Albany, which committed six miscues in its first game, turned the ball over just once this time, and accounted for 384 yards in total offense. Thomas caught six passes for 59 yards, while Gmelin had four receptions for 65. It was the Danes’ first shutout since Nov. 11, 1995, as they held Sacred heart to just 167 yards.

Field Hockey

The Great Danes are off to a 5-0 start for the second straight year. The early streak includes a 1-0 overtime victory against Lock Haven, which has won the NCAA Division II national championship in three of the last five years. Sophomore Tovah Atwell of West Winfield, leads her club in scoring with three goals and four assists, and had the game-winner versus Lock Haven with 8:37 left in the extra period.

Deborah Fiore, the 1996 Division II Coach of the Year by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association, is in her third season, and has guided the UA program to a 30-6-1 record. Senior Meredith Jackel, a first-team NFHCA All-America selection, anchors a defense which has allowed two goals to date. Liz Peck, a second-team All-America midfielder, scored twice in last Friday’s 2-1 triumph at Sacred Heart.

Cross Country

Ben Wright finished seventh in the men’s five-mile competition to lead Albany to fifth place at the Fordham Invitational last Saturday. Wright, a sophomore from Averill Park, ran 26:22 over the Van Cortlandt Park circuit, while co-captain Brendan Howell was 10th in 26:28. Brown University’s Keith Woodman was first across the line in 25:53, as the Bruins won the team title. The Great Danes trailed three other Division I schools in the standings with St. Joseph’s, Harvard and Delaware just ahead.

The Great Danes were eighth in the women’s meet, also captured by Brown. Andrea Viger, a sophomore from Granville, raced 3.1 miles in 19:44 to finish 20th overall. Liz Hamilton was 54th in 20:46, while Viger’s twin sister, Erica, ran 21:00 to place 63rd.

Men’s Soccer

Tom Mason converted a penalty kick with seven minutes and 58 seconds remaining to lift Albany past St. Rose, 2-1, in a non-conference match at Bleecker Stadium on Sept. 10. The Great Danes are 3-1 on the season, and begin New England Collegiate Conference play at Bridgeport this Saturday.

Kevin Koscielniak, who was the NECC Player of the Week earlier this season, is the team’s top scorer with three goals and five assists. The senior striker from Saratoga Springs, has 15 career goals and 12 assists. Freshman Bryan Grabon and Mason each have three goals, while goalkeeper Mike Cooper has a 1.03 goals against average in four starting assignments.

Women’s Soccer

Albany won the first time under rookie head coach George Vizvary with Sunday’s 8-0 rout at New Jersey Tech. Senior defender Jen Barry had two goals and one assist to lead the UA scoring parade. The Great Dane roster is dominated by freshmen, and three of the team’s top four scorers are from the class. Alicia Hutter of Medford, has two goals and two assists, while Emily Trievel and Carolyn Giaquinto each have two goals and one assist. Genevieve Holdridge, another first-year player, has started the last three matches at goalkeeper.

Women’s Tennis

Head coach Darcie Trapasso’s club opened with victories in two of three matches. Sophomore captain Julie Bliss (Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake H.S.) is among six players on the roster from area scholastic programs. Darcy Wheeler, a junior from South Colonie H.S., and Jennifer Hahn, a freshman from Bethlehem Central, are both 3-0 in singles play.

Women’s Volleyball

The women Danes took two matches, each three games to one, over the weekend, from C.W. Post, 15-13, 12-15, 15-11 and 15-8, and from Concordia, 15-10,15-6, 10-15, 15-9.