Sophomore quarterback Tim Morrison completed 21-of-32 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown today for Stonehill. |
Chargers TD with 21-seconds left the difference in inaugural meeting
WEST HAVEN, Conn. (September 26, 2009) - The University of New Haven scored a touchdown with 21-seconds to play to claim a 23-16 victory over Stonehill College in Northeast-10 Conference football action at Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium this afternoon.
Sophomore quarterback Ryan Osiecki (Seymour, Conn./Seymour) connected with classmate Sharieff Hall (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) for a 19-yard touchdown pass with 21-seconds to play. Osiecki then hit sophomore Kameel Lashley (Boston, Mass./BCLA) for the two-point conversion to put the Chargers up seven and clinch the victory.
Osiecki, a transfer from the University of Louisville, was 30-for-48 passing for 323 yards and two touchdowns with one interception for New Haven which claimed its first ever NE-10 victory. The Chargers are in their first season of varsity competition after a five-year hiatus.
Sophomore Chris Ruffin (New York, N.Y./Phillip Randolph) caught six passes for 122 yards, while Hall finished with seven receptions for 71 yards and the one touchdown.
Sophomore Akaki Ramishvili (Fair Lawn, N.J./Fair Lawn) led the New Haven defense with a game-high 12 tackles (eight solo), including three for a loss of eight yards. Sophomore Desmond Anderson (Jacksonville, Fla./White) added five stops (four solo) and an interception.
Senior David Pringle caught seven passes for 56 yards. |
Sophomore quarterback Tim Morrison (Billerica, Mass./Billerica Memorial) completed 21-of-32 passes for Stonehill for 225 yards and one touchdown and an interception. Senior David Pringle (West Haven, Conn./Westminister School) caught seven of those passes for 56 yards. New Haven held junior running back Eddie Vachon (Newton, Mass./Blair Academy) to a season-low 32 yards rushing on 19 attempts, while sophomore Danny Carducci (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill) rushed for a score.
Sophomore cornerback Stephan Neville (Foxborough, Mass./Foxborough) led the Skyhawks defense with ten tackles (five solo), an interception and another pass breakup. He also returned three kickoffs for 85 yards. Senior linebacker Greg Sanzari (Centerport, N.Y./St. Anthony's) added eight stops (four solo), while classmate Andrew Lesko (Florence, Mass./Northampton) chipped in six tackles (three solo), including four for a loss of 13 yards and one sack for a loss of eight.
Osiecki's gamewinning pass to Hall capped a 12-play, 70-yard drive for New Haven that took just 2:57 after Morrison had hit sophomore Jordan Smith (Northfield, N.H./Bishop Brady) for a four-yard touchdown pass to put Stonehill up 16-15 with 3:25 remaining. Osiecki converted a big fourth and ten play during the winning drive with an 18-yard completion to Ruffin to the Skyhawks 19.
Morrison was able to get Stonehill into New Haven territory after senior Brendan Law (Hamden, Conn./Notre Dame) ran the pooch kick up to the Stonehill 42. Morrison found sophomore Oscar Alvarez (Framingham, Mass./Cushing) for a 16-yard completion to the UNH 42, but two passes into the end-zone came up empty to end the game.
Sophomore Stephan Neville led the defense with ten tackles and an interception, while also returning three kickoffs for 85 yards. |
The teams traded field goals in the opening quarter with New Haven freshman Michael Herrera (Tamarac, Fla./J.P. Taravella) hitting a 35-yarder and Stonehill senior Brendan Gorey (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) converting a 37-yard attempt. The Skyhawks forged in front early in the second quarter when they turned a New Haven fumble just over midfield into a score.
Morrison found freshman John Gomes (Hyannis, Mass./Barnstable) for a 17-yard pass on fourth and nine at the New Haven 30 to keep the drive alive, before Carducci capped the 12-play, 59-yard drive that ate 6:26 off the clock with a two-yard scamper.
After Gorey had a 42-yard field goal attempt carom off the crossbar later in the second quarter, New Haven got a score just before halftime. Osiecki capped a 6-play, 35-yard drive with a five-yard pass to freshman Jason Thompson (Stuart, Fla./South Fork). The Skyhawks blocked the Herrera extra point to take the lead into the lockerroom.
New Haven scored the only points of the third quarter when sophomore Victor Jones (Patterson, N.J./Passaic County Tech) capped an 11-play, 69-yard drive with a one-yard plunge with 14-seconds left in the frame. Neville picked off the two-point conversion attempt by Osiecki.
On Stonehill's fourth quarter scoring drive that briefly gave the Skyhawks the lead, Morrison completed two big passes to senior Cory Wright (Hooksett, N.H./Manchester Central), one for 31 yards to the UNH 25 on first and ten and another for 15 yards to the Chargers seven, on second and seven, before finding Smith for a four-yard score three plays later on fourth down.
New Haven finished with 358 yards of total offense, just 32 rushing and 326 passing. Stonehill compiled 280 yards of total offense, 225 passing and 55 rushing.
Stonehill (1-4, 0-3 NE-10) has next weekend off before returning to action on Saturday, October 10, to host Pace University on Easton Appreciation Day at W.B. Mason Stadium at 1 p.m. New Haven (2-2, 1-2 NE-10) visits Southern Connecticut State University on Friday at 7 p.m.
