Golden Bears Rally Past Union with Dominant Third Quarter, 32-16

Western New England overcomes 9-6 halftime deficit, outscoring Dutchmen 19-0 in third period 

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (September 17, 2016) – The Western New England University football team outscored Union College (N.Y.) 19-0 in the third quarter on its way to a 32-16 victory this afternoon in non-conference action at Frank Bailey Field.

Top Performers
• Western New England junior quarterback Anthony Service (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) continued his strong play, completing 21-of-27 passes for 266 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Golden Bears wrapped up their non-conference slate with a 3-0 record. Service, who connected with 11 different receivers through the air, also picked up 24 yards and one touchdown on the ground.
• Senior running back Nick Connell (East Marion, N.Y.) rushed for a season-high 98 yards on 19 carries (5.2 avg.) and found the end zone on an two-yard run in the third quarter.
• Junior wide receiver Mark Dietrich (Cheshire, Conn.) was Service's top target, catching seven balls for 83 yards, while senior tight end Trent Vasey (Cumberland, R.I.) made three receptions for 47 yards and two touchdowns.
• Junior safety Sam Olsson (Milford, Conn.) led the Golden Bear defense with ten tackles, and senior linebacker Blair Cook (New Brunswick, N.J.) added six stops (including two for a loss) and an interception.

• Union was led by junior running back Connor Kinzelmann (Castleton-on-Hudson, N.Y.), who ran for a game-high 147 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries (7.4 avg.).
• Senior safety Brian Alebiosu (Stamford, Conn.) recorded a team-high ten tackles for the Dutchmen, and he also blocked an extra point in the second quarter.

Game Review
• After a scoreless first quarter, Union got on the board less than a minute into the second period when Kinzelmann found the end zone on a 47-yard touchdown run. The Dutchmen led 6-0 after failing to convert their extra point opportunity.
• Western New England was forced to punt on its next two possessions, but the Golden Bears set themselves up with great field position midway through the second quarter when senior defensive back Isaiah Berrios Smith (Wallkill, N.Y.) blocked Union junior Tyler Barnes' (Charlotte, Vt.) punt, giving the offense the ball at the Dutchmen's 15-yard line.
• Working with a short field, Service connected with Vasey for a ten-yard touchdown on third and five to even the score. Alebiosu blocked sophomore kicker Vinny Lalumia's (Maywood, N.J.) point after attempt as the game remained tied at 6-6.
• Union took a 9-6 lead into the locker room for halftime after junior Jonathan Schaible (Oldwick, N.Y.) kicked a 21-yard field goal with 1:08 remaining.
• Western New England pulled ahead for good on its first drive of the second half, as Service capped a nine-play, 60-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run.
• Cook picked off Union sophomore quarterback Nick Cascione (New Canaan, Conn.) on the first play of the Dutchmen's ensuing possession and returned it 23 yards to the Union 21-yard line. The Western New England offense took over at the 45-yard line due to a clipping penalty.
• The Golden Bears capitalized on the turnover, going up 19-9 on a two-yard touchdown run by Connell.
• The Western New England defense clamped down, forcing three-and-outs on each of Union's next two possessions.
• Service led the Golden Bear offense on a four-play, 80-yard drive late in the third quarter, which culminated in a 25-yard touchdown toss to Vasey that gave the visitors a 25-9 cushion.
• Both teams would tack on seven points in the final period, as Kinzelmann found the end zone for the second time with a three-yard run at the 11:23 mark, and junior running back Dante Aiken (Brooklyn, N.Y.) capped the scoring with a three-yard touchdown run with 4:08 remaining.

Notes
• Western New England improves to 4-0 all-time against Union.
• The Golden Bears converted on 7-of-14 (50%) third down opportunities and limited the Dutchmen to a 29 percent clip (4-of-14).
• The Western New England defense held Union to just 60 yards passing and 266 yards of total offense.
• Service has thrown at least two touchdown passes in all three of Western New England's games so far this fall. His 266 passing yards, 21 completions and 77.8 completion percentage are all season-highs.
• The balanced Golden Bear offense finished with 445 yards (265 passing, 180 rushing), picking up 13 first downs on the ground and 13 through the air.

Up Next
With its non-conference schedule complete, Western New England (3-0) now turns its attention to next weekend's New England Football Conference (NEFC) opener against Curry. Opening kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Golden Bear Stadium as the final season of NEFC football gets underway. Union (1-2) opens its Liberty League slate next Saturday at Hobart.