NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College football team lost its first game of the season Saturday as the Titans fell in their home-opener against Geneva, 37-14, at Harold Burry Stadium.
The Titans (2-1) were victimized by three interceptions and two lost fumbles, as the Golden Tornadoes (2-1) returned a blocked punt and two interceptions for touchdowns.
Westminster could not get much going on the ground as Geneva smothered the Titans for negative 25 rushing yard for the game on 27 attempts, while the Titans offense racked up 334 yards through the air as sophomore quarterback Kevin Franz (Finleyville, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) completed 26 of 39 passes for 320 yards, two interceptions and a pair of touchdown passes to senior wide receiver Brett Ziegler (Somerset, Pa./Somerset).
Ziegler caught a 25-yard touchdown pass at the 6:42 mark in the third quarter to cut Geneva's lead to 23-7, before he hauled in a deep ball from Franz beating the Golden Tornado secondary for a 74-yard touchdown connection at the 9:22 mark in the fourth quarter for the game's final points.
With his six receptions for 159 yards, Ziegler moves into eighth place on Westminster's career receptions list with 101. He surpassed Gary Hughes who had 96 catches from 1963-66. Ziegler now needs 40 receptions to break Matt Dvorsak's record of 140 set in 1999.
Geneva opened the game's scoring on a 26-yard field goal by Nick DiPietro, capping off the Golden Tornadoes' first drive off the game: six plays, 27 yards in 1:19. Geneva would go up 10-0 when Brian Wilson returned a blocked punt 35 yards just before the end of the first quarter.
Richard Kolesar then gave Geneva a 17-0 lead when he intercepted Franz and returned the ill-fated pass 32 yards for a score.
Geneva would later drive down the field on its only scoring drive longer than six plays with a 14-play, 63-yard march culminating with a Matt Dean 5-yard run with 1:49 remaining in the second quarter as Geneva took a 23-0 lead into halftime.
After the first of two Ziegler touchdown receptions, another blocked punt set up Geneva's next score as quarterback Bobby Bondi scored from 3 yards out on a short four-play, 5-yard touchdown drive. On Westminster's ensuing possession, Bradley Roman intercepted Franz and returned it 34-yard for a touchdown making the score 37-7.
Bondi finished the game completing 7 of 17 passes for 103 yards. He was also the Golden Tornadoes' leading rusher with 28 yards on 14 attempts. Brian Dvorsak led Geneva with thee catches for 53 yards.
Defensively, Roman led Geneva with 12 stops (five for a loss), two forced fumbles and an interception. Junior defensive lineman Andrew Robison (New Wilmington, Pa./Wilmington) led the Titan defense with 11 tackles (two for a loss) and one sack.
The Titans are off next week before hosting Grove City for their homecoming game Saturday, Sept. 29, at 1:30 p.m.
About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is ranked among national leaders in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Guide to America's Best Colleges, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 366 Colleges" and "Best in the Northeast" by The Princeton Review, and was recognized by the Templeton Guide as a "Character Building College."
Nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus.
