Iona Plucks Peacocks

Gaels looking for a winning season

One more to get over the hump of .500 for the season.

Iona 27, Saint Peter 26

Jersey City, NJ- Both teams traded touchdowns in each quarter but the Iona College football team struck last in a thrilling, 27-26, victory before over 1,200 spectators at Cochrane Stadium this evening. The battle of the MAAC Football League's top two rushers did not disappoint as Iona junior RB Vincent Christoforo rushed for 179 yards and Saint Peter's Sean Mayers gained 206 yards in the contest.

Mayers put the Peacocks (1-4, 0-1 MAAC) on the scoreboard early in the first quarter, scoring three plays into the game on a 61-yard touchdown scamper. Saint Peter's turned an errant snap on the PAT into two points as holder Salic Wigfall found David Lews in the end zone to give the home team an 8-0 lead just 1:34 into the game. The Gaels answered midway threw the period as QB Dustin Croick connected with WR Dennis Calacione for a 15-yard touchdown. Calacione notched his team leading fourth score of the season.

Late in the second quarter, the Peacocks extended their lead to seven points as QB Scott Bonnono found John Bond in the back of the end zone for a 29-yard TD pass. Senior CB Alex LoGerfo came around the corner to block the extra point as the Gaels trailed by seven with less than four minutes to go. On the ensuing kickoff senior KR Brett Sohns returned the ball 72 yards before running out of real estate at the three-yard line. For Sohns, who is closing in on Iona's career kick return marks, it was his longest return of his career. Iona used all four downs and finally punched it in on a one-yard dive by Christoforo with 1:58 on the clock. The two teams headed into the break tied at 14 a piece.

On the opening drive of the second half, Croick led Iona to its third score of the game and its first lead. The junior QB capped the six-play, 60-yard drive with a 13-yard TD run at the 12:05 mark. Croick's toss to senior WR Brian Watts for 27 yards proved to be the key play in the drive. Saint Peter's struck back at the 2:07 mark as Bonnono found Edmonds in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown. A second excellent play by LoGerfo on the PAT forced the Peacocks' K Vin Privitelli into missing the kick wide as the Gaels led by a point with 2:07 in the third.

Bonnono connected with Edmonds for the second time in the game as Saint Peter's regained the lead with less than five minutes to go in the game. The margin remained five after Iona's defense stuffed Mayers short of the goal line on the point-after attempt. On the next possession, Croick, Christoforo and the Gaels drove 66 yards on eight plays to take the lead. Christoforo tallied his second TD of the contest with a four yard run with 1:17 on the clock. Two key catches highlighted the game winning drive. Junior TE Juan Chambia put the Gaels into Peacock territory with a 27-yard reception, his first in Maroon & Gold. No reception was bigger than Calacione's catch over the middle on 4th-and-5 for 16 yards to keep the drive alive. Iona's defense held on in the final 77 seconds as the Gaels earned another late game win.

Christoforo hit the century mark in rushing yards for the third straight week with his career-best 179-yard effort on 28 carries including the two touchdowns. His four catches also led the squad. Croick also had his best game as a Gael completing 11-of-18 attempts for 125 yards while throwing for a touchdown and running for one. He has now thrown 106 passes in his career without an interception. For the second straight contest, the Gaels did not commit a turnover. Calacione caught three passes for 39 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, junior LB Adam Lipski's 12 tackles led the team. SS Karl Pfistner had 1.5 tackles for a loss, while LoGerfo added a forced fumble and LB William Montanaro picked off a pass in the win. For just the second time in the last 20 games, the Gaels failed to record a QB sack.

The Gaels complete their three-game road stand with a respectable 2-1 record with wins over Saint Peter's and Stonehill. Iona returns home for three games against Assumption, Duquesne and Marist. The Maroon & Gold take on Assumption in 16 days when it celebrates its annual homecoming weekend on Oct. 22.