ONEONTA, NY - The Utica College Pioneers scored two first-half touchdowns and led Hartwick College, 12-7, at the halfway point, but a strong Hawk second-half rally diminished all hope of an upset and granted Hartwick a 27-12 victory on a damp Friday night in Oneonta.

Hartwick's talented air attack proved to be the difference in the game, as quarterback Daniel Pincelli completed 27 passes for 312 yards, three interceptions and two touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Emilio Gigliotti (Rensselaer, NY/Rensselaer) started for UC and completed six of his 22 attempts for 100 yards, two interceptions and one touchdown. Neither team dominated the ground game, as Hartwick netted only 76 rushing yards and UC a mere 46 yards.

Freshman receiver Matthew Connors (Pleasant Valley, NY/Arlington) scored Utica's first touchdown of the year on a 62-yard pass from Gigliotti. Hartwick responded with a 63-yard punt by Ryan Soule, before sophomore running back Joseph Dattellas (Solvay, NY/Solvay) graced UC with a 12-7 halftime lead on a 23-yard touchdown run.

The second half belonged to the Hawks, however, as Pincelli connected with Jeff Moyer on a 77-yard touchdown reception and Soule on a 3-yard touchdown pass. Matt Maine scored the game's final touchdown and secured the Hartwick victory with a 10-yard fumble recovery.

Dattellas led UC's rushing attack with 81 yards on 28 carries, while Connors highlighted the passing game with two receptions for 89 yards. Freshman punter Jeff Muha (Boonville, NY/Adirondack) sailed 11 punts for a total of 394 yards.

The UC defense, which forced five fumbles and retained four of them, was led by junior linebacker Anthony Venturino (Utica, NY/DeSales), who had a game-high 12 tackles (6 solo) and forced two fumbles. Senior linebacker Michael Romandetti (Wallkill, NY/) tallied 11 tackles (7 solo), including three hits for a loss of 13 yards and two pass deflections, while junior defensive back JP Lignowski (Walden, NY/Valley Central) had nine tackles, two pass breakups and a 57-yard fumble recovery. Sophomore defensive back Jon Klosner (Ilion, NY/Ilion) also had an impressive individual performance with six tackles, three pass deflections and three interceptions that he returned for a total of 24 yards.

Utica College travels to the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff next Saturday, October 5.

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