WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - The Monmouth University football team fell to first-place Albany 35-10 on Homecoming at Kessler Field on Saturday afternoon. In the contest, MU fifth-year senior running back David Sinisi (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove) became the Northeast Conference's all-time career rushing leader, eclipsing the previous mark of Wagner's Rick Sarille. The Hawks fall to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the league, while the Great Danes improve to 6-2 and 5-0 in the NEC.
The two squads traded punts twice to begin the contest, and on Monmouth's third punt of the game it pinned Albany on its own six-yard line. Forcing the Great Danes to pass from deep inside their own territory, MU safety Kendall Haley (Olney, Md. /Good Counsel) picked off UAlbany quarterback Vinny Esposito and took it to the Great Danes 21-yard line.
The Hawks drive stalled and they settled for a Jake DelVento (Toms River, N.J. /Toms River South) 32-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead with 12:21 left before halftime.
Albany took control of the contest from that point on, scoring the game's next 28 points between over the next two quarters. The Great Danes began their scoring with an Esposito five-yard scoring pass to John Lullen, capping off an eight-play, 70-yard drive, to take a 7-3 lead with 8:48 left before the half.
The Great Danes got another score before the half when QB/RB Andrew Smith scored on a one-yard plunge to take a 14-3 lead with just less than two minutes to go in the opening half.
UAlbany scored twice in the first 5:01of the second half, first on a 31-yard receiver pass from Smith to Tim Bush, and then a Justin Gannon 23-yard scamper, to take a 28-3 lead with 9:59 left in the third quarter. MU broke the Great Danes scoring streak when Sinisi scored from three yards out, but that was all Monmouth could muster in the game.
Esposito scored on a one-yard run to conclude the game's scoring with 13:42 left in the final quarter.
Albany outgained MU 320-268 in total yards, including 172-83 on the ground. The Hawks did hold the ball for 32:41, compared to 27 minutes for the Great Danes. Sinisi broke the record in the second half en route to gaining a game-high 84 yards on 21 carries. The fifth-year senior back now has 4,479 yards, eclipsing Sarille's previous mark. He also caught four passes for 66 yards in the contest.
Redshirt freshman QB Kyle Frazier (Gaithersburg, Md. /Damascus) completed 18-of-27 passes for 185 yards in the game, but he was sacked four times in the contest. Senior Ron Lauch (Wall, N.J./Wall) led the MU receiving corps with six catches for 67 yards in the game.
David McCarty, who left the game in the third quarter, finished with nine rushes for 64 yards. Gannon ran 13 times for 52 yards while Smith rushed 12 times for 36 yards. Receiver Tim Bush caught seven balls for 114 yards in the game, including a 41-yard long. Esposito completed 12-of-19 passes for 117 yards, and added 20 rushing yards.
Haley led the Monmouth defense with 11 stops, a tackle for loss and a career-best two interceptions. Fellow safety Jose Gumbs (Queens, N.Y. /Hebron Academy) added 11 tackles and a TFL, while linebacker Joe Valenti (Bayonne, N.J. /St. Peter's Prep) had seven stops.
Dave Casale led the Great Danes with 11 tackles, a forced fumble, and a pass break up. Defensive lineman Eddie Delaney added seven stops and 1.5 TFL.
Monmouth returns to action next Saturday when they host Bryant at 1:00 pm.
