SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The No. 13 Union College football team improved to 3-0 with a thrilling 30-23 victory over Springfield College Saturday evening at Frank Bailey Field at Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium.
"I'm just proud of our guys," said head coach Jeff Behrman. "They were persistent and stayed resilient throughout the game. The defense came out and played huge."
"It's a team mentality," said senior Michael Fiore. "They were physical coming downhill. They hit hard, but we were ready for it. That's what we were expecting. The defense played fantastic. It was great seeing them out there. We know what they're capable of and they did what they had to do. We did what we had to do and came out with a W."
The Union defense had a massive game in the trenches, staying on the field for more than half the game, while registering two turnovers on downs, three fumble recoveries, and two interceptions. Senior Colin Lama made his presence known on the defense, leading all players with 16 total tackles, a fumble recovery, and coming up with a game-sealing fourth-quarter interception with less than a minute to play. Senior Cam Adams added nine tackles and the only sack of the game, while junior Thomas Cavallo recorded his first career interception early in the third quarter, picking off David Wells and taking it 31 yards for a touchdown.
"We knew they were going to be a good team," added Cavallo. "We knew they were going to be physical. We played well. Happy to come away with a win."
Union got the scoring started on the game's opening drive. After back-to-back rushes by Fiore, senior William Bellamy found junior Finn Duran, who caught a pass and crossed the goal line for a 24-yard strike to go up 7-0. After a fumble recovery by Lama, Bellamy found senior Ike Irabor four times to get the ball in field goal range. Sophomore Andrew Lau connected for his first career field goal from 27 yards out to put the Dutchmen up 10-0 in the first quarter.
The Pride responded in the opening drive of the second quarter, bringing the game within three courtesy of a rushing touchdown from quarterback David Wells. Not to be outdone, Bellamy added his first career rushing touchdown one drive later.
Adams started the third quarter with a fumble recovery in the opening drive, setting the stage for Fiore, who rushed in three consecutive plays, resulting in Union's third touchdown of the day. Springfield attempted to bounce back on the third drive of the quarter, but Cavallo had a pick six to put the Dutchmen up 30-14.
The Pride closed the gap in the fourth to make it a one-score game. With less than a minute to go in the game and Springfield marching up the field, Lama picked off Wells, sealing the victory for the Dutchmen.
"Each week, we're looking to play the best football that we can in all three phases of the game," added Behrman. "Our guys love playing football. They love practicing football and preparing. They put in a great week of practice and in the end, we came out victorious."
Union rounds out the non-conference portion of its schedule with a visit to Utica College next Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. Eastern from Charles A. Gaetano Stadium.
Defense Shines in #13 Union's 30-23 Win over Springfield
/seasons/2021/boxscores/20210918_8r1i.xml
2021
Springfield
23
Union
30
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield (1-2) | 0 | 14 | 0 | 9 | 23 |
| Union (3-0) | 10 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 30 |
Sep 18, 2021