Oct. 18, 2003

Final Stats

MOON TOWNSHIP, PA - Senior tailback Jason Bonadies (Southbridge, MA) ran for over 100 yards for the third straight game and scored a pair of touchdowns to help Sacred Heart University to a win over Robert Morris University in a Northeast Conference battle Saturday. Bonadies would carry the ball 32 times for 130 yards yards.

The Pioneers, now 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the NEC, struck first thanks to a Robert Morris turnover. Freshman defensive tackle William Hayden recovered a Colonial fumble at the Robert Morris 26-yard line. Freshman QB Dan Ammel (White River Jct., VT) then hit wideout Marlon Ward (Revere, MA) at the Colonial nine, setting up a first and goal. Two players later senior tailback Jason Bonadies took it in from two yards out to give Sacred Heart a 7-0 lead.

Robert Morris answered on the first play of the second quarter when freshman quarterback Drew Geyer hooked up with Ricky Daldo on a 75-yard scoring strike to knot the score at 7-7.

On the ensuing kickoff, senior Pete Athans (Ocean, NJ) returned the boot 75 yards for the Pioneers to the Robert Morris five. Bonadies scored his second TD of the game two plays later from five yards out to give SHU the lead back.

Sacred Heart had a chance to increase the score after sacking Geyer twice on the next Robert Morris possession and starting a drive deep in Colonial territory after a short punt. Ammel hit Ward with a pass on the first play after the punt to give the Pioneers a first and goal at the RMU 9. Two straight running attempts lost yardage, and an Ammel third-down pass to Ward went through the receivers hands.

Sacred Heart kicker Greg Tonzola (Denville, NJ), who was eight for nine on field goals coming into the game, lined up for a 27-yard attempt but the kick was blocked.

After the block, Geyer worked his team's way down field and tied the score again when he threw his second TD pass of the game, this time for 17 yards to fullback Moises Hernandez.

Once again the Pioneers answered quickly after a Colonial score. With 1:10 left in the half, Ammel found Ward on the left sideline and he raced 27 yards for a touchdown to give SHU a 21-14 lead at the intermission.

Tonzola helped the Pioneers extended their lead to 24-14 with 6:30 to go in the third quarter with a 27-yard field goal into the wind that was partially tipped but still squirted through the uprights. Bonadies set up the score with a 40-yard run to the RMU 15-yard line.

Robert Morris scored with 2:46 left to go in the game on a one-yard keeper by quarterback Geyer to cut the gap the gap to 24-20. Sacred Heart Sophomore Andy Grant blocked the conversion kick attempt to ensure the Colonials would need a touchdown to win.

The Colonials attempted an onside kick after the score, but senior Brian Pawlowski recovered the attempt at the Colonial 40. Sacred Heart would ran the clock down to the 1:00 mark, forcing the Colonials to use up the last of their timeouts. Punter David Whalen punted the ball out of bounds inside the Colonial 20 and the Sacred Heart defense was able to hold on for the win.