Union football mashes Morrisville in home opener for first victory of the season

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- After opening the season with back-to-back road games against ranked opponents, the Union College football team faced a far less daunting task in its home opener Saturday afternoon, welcoming 0-2 SUNY Morrisville into Frank Baily Field at Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium.

The Garnet Chargers were the better team from start to finish. After taking a 14-7 lead into halftime, they rattled off 17 unanswered points in the second half, en route to a 31-7 victory - the program's first of the season.
 
Senior Patch Flanagan accounted for all four touchdowns for Union (1-2) on the day, throwing for two and running for two. The senior finished the game 10-23 for 132 yards through the air, and added 139 yards on the ground. Junior Michael Dinardo rushed for 97 yards as part of a rushing attack that gashed the Mustangs for 292 yards, while senior Gil Rivera and junior Joe Curran both caught touchdown passes.
 
Junior Lucas Coleman led the defensive effort with a team-leading eight tackles, including two tackles for loss and a sack, while sophomore Dominic Mazzuca recorded six tackles (five solo). Seniors Ryan Grenier and David Seiche both picked off Morrisville passes as well for the home team.
 
After both teams punted on their opening possessions, Union drove 84 yards on eight plays for the game's first score. Seven rushes gobbled up 74 yards on the drive, which culminated in a Flanagan three-yard plunge.
 
Union doubled its lead on the first drive of the second quarter, marching 98 yards in a methodical 18 plays that took up more than half the quarter. Taking the ball at their two-yard line at the start of the stanza, Union converted three third downs and one fourth down on the drive, which was capped by a Flanagan 10-yard run to paydirt.
 
The Mustangs took advantage of a Union turnover to score their only points toward the end of the second quarter, but the second half was all Union. The defense set the tempo by forcing a turnover on downs on the first possession, getting three straight stops on second-, third- and fourth-and-one from midfield. Union's subsequent drive resulted in a 23-yard field goal from sophomore Francesco Pileggi to make it a 17-7 score.
 
The Garnet Chargers reached the end zone on their first two drives of the fourth quarter to put the game away. Flanagan connected with Rivera on a 46-yard touchdown on the first drive of the final frame, followed by Curran hauling in his first collegiate touchdown on a 24-yard pass from Flanagan to provide the final scoring.
 
Union finished the day with 435 yards of total offense, while the defense limited Morrisville to 174 yards and only 37 yards on the ground. As a result, the Garnet Chargers nearly doubled the Mustangs in time of possession (39:26 to 20:34).
 
Union will remain at home for next weekend's Liberty League opener, hosting St. Lawrence University for a 5 p.m. kickoff in Schenectady.