GREENVILLE, Pa. - The Westminster College football team lost at Thiel, 24-21, on Saturday in President' Athletic Conference (PAC) action after the teams combined for 24 points in the final 2:02 including Thiel kicking a walk-off field goal.
The Titans fall to 1-4 on the season and 0-2 in the PAC, while the Tomcats improve to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the league.
Westminster led 7-0 through three quarters before Thiel tied took a 14-7 lead in the fourth quarter. The Titans rallied to tie the game twice at 14-14 and 21-21 before Thiel's John Madeline hit a 46-yard field goal as time expired.
Westminster senior tailback Nick McKolosky (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) rushed 25 times for 102 yards including a 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 14-14 with 2:02 remaining in the game.
The scoring drive came after Thiel's Garrett McElwain blocked a Westminster punt and Bobby Shew recovered the ball in the end zone to put Thiel up 14-7 with 6:42 remaining.
After McKolosky's touchdown tied the game, Thiel quarterback Willie Bova hit a streaking Brendan Taylor for an 86-yard touchdown strike to put the Tomcats up 21-14 with 1:27 left in game.
Westminster again rallied to tie the game on its ensuing possession as the Titans went 62 yards on six plays, culminating with senior quarterback Kevin Franz (Finleyville, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) scrambling and then floating an 18-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Jon Gubish (Pittsburgh, Pa./Northgate) with 23 seconds on the clock.
Thiel got the ball back on its own 32-yard line and Bova completed a 30-yard pass to Taylor, followed by two incomplete passes and a 9-yard completion to Ross Gorgano to set up the game-winning field goal.
Gergano had previously caught an 11-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 early in the fourth quarter.
Bova finished with 304 yards on 22-of-33 passing with no interceptions and two touchdowns, while Gorgano led the Tomcats with eight catches for 67 yards and a score and Taylor caught six balls for 151 yards and a touchdown.
Franz threw for 141 yards on 14-of-21 passing with one interception. Gubish led the Titans with eight catches for 100 yards.
Overall, the Tomcats edged the Titans in total yards, 332-326, including a 304-173 advantage through the air.
Westminster's defense held steady, forcing Thiel to punt on six of its first seven possessions including three three-down series. The one exception was Thiel driving 74 yards on 18 plays only to have Madeline miss a 34-yard field goal.
The Titans punted on their first two possessions before sophomore back-up quarterback Shawn Lehocky (Conway, Pa./Freedom) was the direct result of the end of their next two drives, an intercepted pass by McElwain on the Tomcat 1-yard line and Lehocky scoring on a quarterback sneak from 1 yard out to put Westminster up 7-0 with 1:45 left in the half.
Lehocky finished the game 2-for-3 passing with 32 yards and an interception, while rushing seven times for 35 yards including a 26-yarder.
Sophomore Zachery Boyd (Alexandria, Pa./Juniata Valley) led the Titan defense with nine tackles, two for a loss, and one forced fumble.
Westminster returns to action for its Homecoming game Saturday, Oct. 10, at 1:30 p.m. when the Titans face Waynesburg at Harold Burry Stadium.
About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is a top tier liberal arts college and a national leader in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Guide to America's Best Colleges. Westminster ranked third among liberal arts colleges in social mobility, according to the Washington Monthly College Guide, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 371 Colleges" and "Best in the Northeast" by The Princeton Review, and is named to the President's Honor Roll for excellence in service learning.
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.
