Sept. 8, 2007

Final Stats

New Rochelle, NY - Despite a career-high 29 carry, 134-yard rushing performance by senior RB Jason Butler (Syracuse, NY / Henninger), Wagner dropped a hard-fought 17-14 overtime decision to Iona at sweltering Mazzella Field.

The loss snapped Wagner's 10-game winning streak over the Gaels and drops the Green & White to 1-1, while Iona improved to 2-0. Wagner now leads the overall series 16-2.

Iona took an early 7-0 lead following quick six-play 75-yard drive that took 3:01and culminated with a two-yard touchdown strike from Nick Rossetti to Michael Day with 3:41 to go in the first quarter to put Iona up 7-0 following the extra point. Wagner then answered with a pair of drives that culminated in Piotr Czech (Keyport, NJ/ Keyport) field goals, (19 and 49 yards, respectively) as Iona clung to a 7-6 halftime lead.

Trailing by that same 7-6 early in the fourth quarter with Iona driving, graduate student LB Thomas Larsen (Brooklyn, NY / Fort Hamilton) snared an errant pass from Iona quarterback Nick Rossetti and returned it 28 yards to the Gael 35-yard line. The interception was forced by pressure applied by senior LB ,b>Bryan Brand (Placerville, CA / Santa Barbara CC),/b>, who drilled Rossetti from his blind side as he was releasing the ball.

Wagner then embarked on a sharp three-play, 35-yard drive that spanned 1:06 and was capped by a nifty 22-yard touchdown run by junior RB Rodney Davis (Bristol, PA / Mansfield) up the right sideline with 9:42 to go in the fourth. Wagner then converted the two-point conversion when junior quarterback Matt Abbey (La Canada, CA / St. Francis) threaded a pass to a streaking Butler in the end zone, extending the Seahawk lead to 14-7.

On the ensuing kickoff, however, Iona's Dane Samuels broke free up the left sideline for a 68-yard return to the Wagner 20-yard line. Four plays later, on third-and-goal from the one, Samuels dove over the goal line to bring the Gaels to within one point at 14-13. Chris Lofrese's extra point tied the game at 14-14 with 7:43 to go. With the score still tied at 14-14 Iona later in the fourth quarter, Iona drove to the Wagner 26-yard line to set up a potential game-winning field goal by Lofrese. But Lofrese's attempt fell short as time expired.

In overtime, Wagner won the toss and elected to put its defense on the field. The Seahawks' appreared to gain a huge adavantage by holding Iona to a Lefrese 19-yard field goal. With Iona now up 17-14, it was Wagner's turn to take over possession at the 25-yard line. But the Iona defense, aided by a first down holding penalty, stiffened and eventually forced the Seahawks into a four-and-11 at the Gaels' 26-yard line. Following an Iona timeout, Czech, a 2006 NEC First-Team kicker and a pre-season All-American, missed the potential game-tying field goal as the kick narrowly missed wide left.

The game marked Wagner's first overtime game since Oct. 2, 2004 when the Seahawks dropped a 30-24 double-overtime affair to Sacred Heart. Davis, playing in his second game as a Seahawk after transferring in from Mansfield (PA) University, gained 76 yards on 12 carries. Abbey, under consistent pressure from the stout Iona defense, was harassed into a 6-for-19, 49-yard passing day. Junior captain and linebacker Jeremy Spinks (Tampa, FL/ Chamberlain) paced the Seahawks' fine defensive effort with a team-high 10 tackles.

Rossetti led the Iona offensive attack by completing 23-of-33 passes for 212 yards, one TD and one INT. Samuels was the Gaels' leading ground-gainer with 68 yards on 18 attempts.

Wagner will play its home opener Saturday, Sept. 15 at 1:00 pm. as Marist comes to Grymes Hill on Homecoming Day. This festive afternoon will also be Hall of Fame Day, as six new members will be formally inducted into the Wagner College Athletic Hall of Fame during a halftime ceremony.