Parsons Amasses 120 Yards Of Total Offense In First Collegiate Start, Dauer Hauls In 13-Yard Scoring Pass As Football Drops 16-7 Non-League Decision To Division I-AA Iona

September 24, 2005

STONEHILL FOOTBALL

Saturday, September 24, 2005

W.B. Mason Stadium, Easton, Mass.

FINAL: IONA 16, STONEHILL 7

1 2 3 4 Total

Iona (2-2) 0 9 7 0 - 16

Stonehill (2-2) 7 0 0 0 - 7

SCORING SUMMARY

STO: Wes Dauer 13 yd pass from Cruz Parsons (Sean Donahue kick) 5:47 1st

IONA: Chris Lofrese 21 yd FG 6:43 2nd

IONA: Matt Malillo 10 yd pass from Dustin Croick (kick failed) 0:53 2nd

IONA: Greg Asplint 17 yd pass from Croick (Lofrese kick) 6:00 3rd

Attendance: 1,147

EASTON, Mass.-- Junior quarterback Dustin Croick (Agora, Calif.) came off the bench to throw for 148 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead Iona to a 16-7 non-league college football victory over Stonehill Saturday afternoon at W.B. Mason Stadium.

The visiting Gaels (2-2) overcame a 7-0 first quarter deficit to take the lead for good with nine second quarter points, as the host Skyhawks (2-2) had taken the early advantage when freshman quarterback Cruz Parsons (Signal Hill, Calif.) hooked up with fellow freshman Wes Dauer (Plymouth, N.H.) on a 13-yard touchdown pass with 5:47 remaining in the opening stanza. Iona closed to within 7-3 on junior Chris Lofrese’s (Middletown, N.Y.) 21-yard field goal, and the visitors took a 9-7 lead at the break when Croick found senior Matt Malillo (Glen Rock, N.J.) on a 10-yard scoring pass with 53 seconds remaining in the half. The Gaels closed out the scoring with six minutes remaining in the third stanza on Croick’s second touchdown pass of the day, a 17-yard strike to senior Greg Asplint (Allendale, N.J.) that capped an 11-play, 81-yard drive.

Junior Vincent Christoforo (Yonkers, N.Y.) rushed for 159 of Iona’s 163 yards on the ground for the contest on 37 carries, as the Gaels added 187 yards through the air to amass 350 yards of total offense on the afternoon. Senior Dennis Calacione (New Milford, N.J.) hauled in seven receptions for 134 yards for the visitors, as Croick was 10-of-18 on the day in the passing department.

Parsons completed 9-of-21 pass attempts for 93 yards and a touchdown in his first collegiate start for Stonehill, as he amassed 120 yards of total offense on the day. The Skyhawks collected 170 yards of total offense as a team, as senior Mike Plichta (Milford, Mass.) hauled in four receptions for 52 yards for the hosts.

Senior Brett Sohns (Delhi, N.Y.) paced Iona defensively with nine total tackles, as the Gaels recorded five sacks on the afternoon. Freshman Alex Leviner (Lynn, Mass.) led Stonehill on the defensive side with nine total stops (six solo), while junior Tony Pires (Taunton, Mass.) picked up two of the Skyhawks’ three sacks on the day in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Stonehill hosts Saint Anselm in a Northeast-10 Conference match-up next Saturday afternoon at W.B. Mason Stadium beginning at 1:00 p.m., while Iona travels to Philadelphia, Pa. to take on LaSalle in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference match-up that also kicks off at 1:00 p.m.