The Golden Eagles and the Rams

By: Richard Pacella

Rivalries exist amongst all sports, be it at the professional level or even the collegiate. A heated rivalry gets the fans more engaged, gets the players performing at their peak and provides us journalists  with a colorful story to tell. Though a small college, Farmingdale boasts a lengthy list of rivalries with several schools across a number of sports. One of the bigger and more noted is the feud between SUNY Farmingdale and St. Joes. 

St. Joseph’s University, a smaller college amongst the Skyline conference, garners a student population around roughly 4 thousand compared to Farmingdales nearly 10 thousand. When you look at the distance between the two colleges you can understand how the rivalry began. A mere 20 minute drive on the Southern State parkway will take you right from 

Farmingdale college to St. Joe's doorstep. Being that close to a college you are competing against in every sport, leads to some serious tension. 

The latest action between the two schools began on the womens basketball court. The Farmingdales Rams  took down the St. Joe's Golden Eagles by a score of 56  to 51. Erin Conte led the way for the Rams with 19 points and six rebounds. Conte did some damage from the free throw line making 10 of 14 attempts. The game started with the Golden Eagles leading over the Rams 21 to 14. The Rams came right back and held the Golden Eagles to a mere four points in the second quarter and only eight in the final quarter. 

The men’s team also faced St. Joes on the basketball court recently. February 15th, was the date which also happened to be Farmingdales senior night. The men's team  led the game in both halves and wound up with a no sweat win 67 to 59. The men's team was led by Michal Notias. The six foot  junior dropped a solid 25 points in 31 minutes of playing time. Liam Buckley also had a solid performance with 16 points of his own on six field goal attempts. The Rams have historically dominated the Golden eagles. The teams have played each other a total of 45 times on the court. The Rams have won a resounding 32 times on the court, compared to St. Joe's 13. 

Rivalries are part of what makes sports great. Everyone involved from the players, fans,  and coaches feels the extra push to perform for such a game. These two schools meet every year in a variety of sports. From soccer to baseball to hockey, to basketball, the list goes on and on. We as sports fans should be thankful such rivalries exist in smaller local schools like Farmingdale and St. Joes. After all what's better than a good ol fashioned beat down of a rival school.