MEADVILLE, Pa. - The Westminster College football team could not dig itself out of an early three-touchdown deficit in a 27-14 loss at Allegheny Saturday night in non-conference action.
Westminster (2-0) led or tied in nearly all major statistical, including total yards (336-239), rushing yards (86-86), passing yards (250-153), first downs (22-13), fewer penalties (4 for 30 to 6 for 46), time of possession (30:56-29:04) and third-down conversions (7-14 to 5-15).
The Titans threw four interceptions in the game and could not induce any Allegheny turnovers.
Westminster sophomore quarterback Shawn Lehocky (Conway, Pa./Freedom) completed 13 of 28 passes for a career-high161 yards and a touchdown. His one interception came on a Hail Mary pass in the waning seconds. Lehocky, who also rushed eight times for 35 yards and a touchdown, had been taking snaps in both games this season as a platoon back-up. Senior starting quarterback Kevin Franz (Finleyville, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) was 9-of-16 passing for 89 yards including three interceptions.
Senior tailback Nick McKolosky (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) played his first game of the season after coming back from a preseason injury. He rushed 17 times for 70 yards.
Westminster senior receiver Jon Gubish (Pittsburgh, Pa./Northgate) caught 10 passes for 110 yards. Junior receiver John Baummer (Reynoldsville, Pa./DuBois) snared two balls for 42 yards and a touchdown.
On Allegheny's side of the ledger, quarterback T.J. Salopek was 15-26 passing for 153 yards, including five balls to Jake Vite for 69 yards. Eric Mastrogiacomo rushed 19 times for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Allegheny (2-0) scored touchdowns on its first two possessions and returned an interception on Westminster's third futile drive to take a 21-0 lead. Mastrogiacomo scored from 3 yards out to cap off a seven-play, 65-yard drive, followed by Salopek's 4-yard touchdown run to culminate a 5-play, 44-yard march. Kyle Wilson snatched an errant Franz pass and returned it 57 yards to put the Gators up 21-0 with 12:57 left in the first half.
Westminster finally put together a solid drive in the second quarter, going 76 yard on 13 plays over 7:09, punctuated by Lehocky sneaking in from 2 yards out.
The Gators then salvaged just six points the rest of the game, scoring on a Ryan Zipf 38-yard field goal after Westminster threw an interception late in the second quarter. Zipf tacked on another field goal in the fourth quarter.
Lehocky threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Baummer late in the fourth quarter.
Junior linebacker Cory Meeker (Glen Dale, W.Va./John Marshall) tied a career high with eight tackles to lead Westminster. Senior defensive end Neil Falco (Pleasantville, Pa./Titusville) also led the Titan defense with eight stops.
Westminster returns to action at 0-2 Saint Vincent Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
(Note: this news releases was updated on Sunday, Sept. 13 to reflect a change in the official statistics that reflected Franz's and Lehocky's passing numbers.)
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.
