Brian DePasqualeDanes Rock AIC 38-26 for 13th Straight
Erinn Langford's victory at 4th singles helped lead Albany to a win over Bentley on September 13.Springfield, Mass. � Quarterback Eric Williams passed for two touchdowns and ran for another, and the Albany defense blocked two punts and one field goal attempt in leading the Great Danes to a 38-26 victory over American International in the Eastern Football Conference opener for both teams.
In a rematch of last year�s Eastern Football Conference championship game, Albany handed the Yellow Jackets their first loss in conference regular-season play. Albany (2-0) now owns a Division II-leading 13-game winning streak, including seven straight road victories, and has matched a school-record win skein established from 1973-75.
"We showed a tremendous fighting spirit," said Albany coach Bob Ford, who recorded his 150th career victory at the school. "We had bad penalties and self-destructed at times, but the defense and special teams came to the table when needed."
The Great Danes erased an early 7-0 deficit with 21 straight points. Reserve quarterback Michael Oliva scrambled in the Albany backfield before hitting tight end Steve Checksfield with a 41-yard scoring pass. Then followed Williams, who completed 11-of-16 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns, capped a 72-yard march with a 1-yard run. Following a blocked punt, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound signal-caller hit flanker Greg Butryn with a 22-yard TD strike.
AIC tailback Kavin Gailliard, who rushed 19 times for 148 yards, then reached paydirt with a 61-yard scamper. But Albany�s Williams found Butryn with a 30-yard TD pass. The Yellow Jackets closed within 28-19 in the last minute of the second quarter, when Rick Hebert flipped a 14-yard scoring toss to wideout Dan Grant.
Albany took control in the third period. Checksfield booted a 37-yard field goal to end a 10-play drive. Oliva, a 5-foot-10 junior, rushed for his first career touchdown on a 4-yard option keeper for a 38-19 lead with 5:12 left in the stanza.
"I thought the offense got to the perimeter with our option attack, and Eric (Williams) and Michael (Oliva) passed the ball well," said Ford, who now has a 150-99 record in this, his 26th varsity campaign at Albany. The coach celebrated his 61st birthday on Sept. 11.
Butryn finished with five receptions for 90 yards, while Checksfield hauled in four passes for 82. Tailback Greg Garrett carried 17 times for 77 yards, and moved into 10th place on the school�s all-time rushing list. Linebackers Mike Grever and Shcree Lewis combined for 23 tackles, while cornerback Damin Waring blocked one punt and one field goal.
Women�s Tennis Goes 4-0 with Bentley Win
Erinn Langford and Jennifer Hahn each won in singles, and teamed for a pro-set victory at third doubles to lead Albany to a 7-2 triumph at Bentley on Sunday. The Great Danes have opened their fall season with four straight wins.
Langford upended Amy Reardon, 6-2 and 6-3, at fourth singles, while Hahn was extended to three sets in the fifth singles position. She blanked Erin Gaian in the deciding set for a 6-0, 5-7 and 6-0 victory. In addition, Langford and Hahn, a pair of sophomores, captured 8-4 pro-set doubles decision.
X-Country Teams Make First Strides in Bronx
Senior harrier Brendan Howell grabbed 26th place in the Fordham Invitational on Saturday, leading the Danes to a sixth place finish.Ben Wright and Brendan Howell finished among the top 30 competitors, as Albany took sixth at the 1998 Fordham Invitational over the weekend. Wright, a junior from Averill Park, placed 25th overall in 27:22 on the Van Cortlandt Park 8,000-meter course. Howell, of Sloatsburg, was one place behind Wright, and timed in 27:24.
The Great Danes were ninth in the women�s 5K event, as Liz Hamilton of Staten Island was 26th in 19:45.
Freshman Amy DiMicco scored two goals to lead Albany to a 3-1 victory over Sacred Heart last Friday, before the Great Danes dropped a 2-0 decision the following afternoon to Southern Connecticut State.
DiMicco broke a scoreless tie with 13:36 remaining in the opening period, when she beat SHU goalkeeper Ginny Capicchionni to the glove side. DiMicco, who has three goals and three assists on the season, staked her club to a 2-0 advantage eight minutes into the second half, when she tipped in Lauren Byrne�s driving shot.
Albany (3-2) held a 16-8 shot advantage against Southern Conn. State, but the Owls won the battle on the scoreboard with goalkeeper Amy Velander recording 14 saves.
Albany opened its schedule with a weekend trip to Long Island, where the team lost two of three matches. The Great Danes defeated Molloy in three straight games, but dropped a pair of 3-1 decisions to Adelphi and C.W. Post.
Tashi Campbell-Tulloch, a senior outside hitter from Kingston, Jamaica, averaged 4.9 kills and 5.3 digs per game, and posted career-highs in kills (25) and digs (24) against C.W. Post. Lisa Greiner, a second-team all-conference setter, averaged 11.43 assists.
Alison Murphy has been chosen director of corporate sales, Cori Rowe has been selected promotions and tickets manager, and Jerry Zalmanek has been named equipment manager as Director of Athletics Milton E. Richards announced last week.
Murphy spent the previous four years as Pepsi Arena�s group sales/event manager, where she was responsible for sales and event marketing for sporting events and family shows at the 17,500-seat, multi-purpose arena. She also was a membership associate with the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce. Murphy received her undergraduate degree in marketing/management from Siena College in 1993.
Rowe was previously a Division I assistant women�s basketball coach at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington for two years. In addition to her recruiting and academic liaison duties, she was involved with athletic marketing and promotions, handled NCAA compliance reports and team travel, and dealt with contest management. Rowe, a native of East Greenbush, has a B.A. in biology from UNC-Wilmington.
Zalmanek recently completed a one-year internship with the National Football League�s Miami Dolphins. He also spent two years at Indiana University of Pennsylvania as football equipment manager, and one year in the same position at Youngstown State University. Zalmanek earned a B.A. in criminal justice from Indiana, Pa.
