SUNY-Maritime 41, Western Connecticut 28
DANBURY, Conn. — – The Maritime football team, led
by three touchdowns by freshman running back Thomas Davis
(Westbury, N.Y./Westbury), defeated Western Connecticut, 41-28,
Friday night at the Colonials' Westside Athletic Complex. The
win improves the Privateers' record to 2-0 on the season,
while WestConn opens the 2010 campaign with a 0-1 record.
Davis scored three different touchdowns: on a pass play, on a
kick-off return and on a running play. His first score in the
second quarter was on a 44-yard pass play from sophomore
quarterback Joe Dickey (Middletown, N.Y./Middletown North). That
score gave Maritime its first lead of the night, 12-7. A two-point
conversion run by senior running back John Gagliano (Islip Terrace,
N.Y./St. Anthony's) put the Privateers up by seven, 14-7.
The Colonials scored again on a 34-yard pass from Kevin Smolensky
to Dave Plaskon right before the first half ended to tie the game
at 14-14. Davis wasted no time getting Maritime back on top, as he
returned the kickoff that started the second half 80 yards for the
score. Western Connecticut answered again with 3:33 remaining in
the third on a 23 yard pass play from Chris Sloat to Plaskon to tie
the score at 21-21.
Sophomore Fritz Jean (Palm Coast, Fla./Palm Coast) scored the
go-ahead touchdown for the Privateers on a 2-yard run and the
failed PAT put Maritime up, 27-21. Davis struck for the third time
with 7:15 left to play, when he brought a 29-yard rush in for the
score, before rushing for the two-point conversion to give the
Privateers a 35-21 lead. Jean would add an insurance touchdown on a
12-yard run with 2:23 to go to make the score 41-21. Another
passing touchdown by Western Connecticut from Sloats to Adler
Florian ended the scoring at 41-28.
Maritime also got a second-quarter touchdown by senior Greg
McGough (Edgewater, Md./Blessed Trinity) on a 3-yard run that cut
its early deficit to 7-6, this was after WestConn scored the first
touchdown of the game on a 9-yard run by Tyler DeRosa in the first
quarter.
Davis ended the night with a team-best 218 all purpose yards (41
rushing, 44 receiving and 133 on kick returns). Junior Jamie
Spanopoulos (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) led the
Privateers in rushing yards with 65, while Gagliano was second with
53 yards. Dickey passed for 67 yards and one touchdown on 3-of-14
passing.
On defense, senior co-captain Steve Roman (Staten Island, N.Y./St.
Joseph's by the Sea) led Maritime with six tackles including
a sack for a loss of eight yards. Roman also forced and recovered a
fumble in the second quarter and recorded two interceptions.
Sophomores Pat Lasher (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) and Keith Barnes
(Westbury, N.Y./Westbury) each recorded 5.5 tackles. Lasher
registered an interception and Barnes had one tackle for a loss of
six yards.
The Privateers return to action next Saturday, Sept. 18, when they
play host to arch-rival from across the Long Island Sound, the U.S.
Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point. Kickoff is scheduled for 1
p.m. at Reinhart Field.
