NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College football team christened its renovated football stadium with a 6-2 non-conference win over visiting Allegheny Saturday. The first game played on artificial turf in the 58-year history of Harold Burry Stadium was scoreless through nearly 53 minutes of play during steady rain showers.
Westminster (1-1) faced a 2-0 deficit after a centered snap on a punt attempted sailed into the end zone with 7:35 remaining in the game. After Allegheny (1-1) received the free kick, the Titan defense stopped the Gators and score on their ensuing drive.
The Titans marched 79 yards on eight plays culminating with a 1-yard touchdown run by junior tailback Nick McKolosky (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop). The key play during the drive was junior quarterback Kevin Franz (Finleyville, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) hitting classmate tight end Gary Hutsler (Coraopolis, Pa./Cornell) with a 25-yard pass reception to the Allegheny 16-yard line after the Titans faced third-down-and-5 from the Gator 41.
Franz finished the game 25-of-40 passing for 251 yards and one interception for his seventh career game with 250 or more passing yards. Hutsler finished the game with three catches for 48 yards.
Senior wide receiver Jordan Belosh (Edinboro, Pa./General McLane) and junior Chad Rosatelli (Clinton, Pa./Hopwell) led the Titans with six receptions each, including 59 and 58 yards, respectively.
McKolosky rushed 29 times for 86 yards to go with his second touchdown of the season. The Titan offense compiled 296 yards on 75 plays.
The Westminster defense was impressive, yielding just 209 yards on 63 plays and holding Allegheny to 12 first downs. Allegheny could only muster 81 rushing yards led by Matt Deivert's 43 yards while quarterback T.J. Salopek was 11-27 passing for 128 yards.
Allegheny threatened at the end of the game as Salopek connected on passing strikes to Jake Vite for 15 and 27 yards giving the Gators first-and-10 at the Westminster 16 yard line. After a spike to stop the clock, Salopek threw three unsuccessful passes to turn the ball over on downs, including one to Vite with junior cornerback Mario Camerota (Cheswick, Pa./Springdale) applying coverage.
Three players paced the Titan defense with seven tackles, including senior cornerback Kiel Wolf (Corry, Pa./Corry), senior linebacker Jake Martinez (Gibsonia, Pa./Deer Lakes) and sophomore safety Daniel Joyce (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin). Senior defensive lineman Neil Falco (Pleasantville, Pa./Titusville) posted five tackles including two sacks for a loss of 12 yards.
Westminster wins its first home-opener since beating Walsh, 27-14, in 2000. Westminster hosts Saint Vincent Saturday, Sept. 20 at 1:30 p.m.
About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is ranked 15th among liberal arts colleges, according to the Washington Monthly 2007 Annual College Guide. Westminster is a national leader 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 368 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.
