Box Score DANBURY, CONN. - Junior
Matt Forti (Bronx, N.Y.) registered a game-high 11 tackles and freshman quarterback
John Giller (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) threw for 296 yards and two touchdowns, but the Western Connecticut State University football team dropped a 33-28 decision to visiting Albright College at the Westside Athletic Complex on Saturday night.
Forti recorded six primary tackles including one and one half for a loss as WestConn evened its record at 1-1 on the young season.
Giller completed 23 of 32 passes, but it was an interception on the closing drive, at the Lions three yard line by Armo Jefferson, that put the game away for Albright, with 16 seconds remaining. Giller's touchdowns came from 25 and 17 yards out.
With 6:44 remaining in the first quarter, Giller hooked up with
Michael Matich (Floral Park, N.Y.), and the extra point from
Anthony Weidtman (Nesconset, N.Y.) gave WestConn a 7-3 advantage.
Following Giller's 17-yard strike to
Messiah Diggs (Rahway, N.J.), with 12:03 remaining in the third stanza, WestConn regained the lead for the second time on the night, 14-13.
Albright's signal caller Todd Shelley found Malik Bootman from 21 yards out with 9:44 still remaining in the third quarter to put the visitors up, 19-14. The two-point conversion failed as the Lions were attempting to pull ahead by seven points. The Lions, now 1-1 in non-conference action this year, never trailed from that point on.
Shelley completed 18 of 29 passes for 246 yards, tossed three TDs and was picked off once. His primary target was Bootman, who finished with seven catches for 107 yards and scores from 21 and 12 yards, respectively.
Wildcat QB
Mack Driver (Mastic Beach, N.Y.) scored on nine and seven yard runs down the stretch, respectively. He run around the left side were the final points scored in the game.
The WestConn ground attack amassed 137 yards on the night with Giller adding eight carries for 37 yards when chased from the pocket.
Omar Sesay and Daniel Vital led the Lions with nine and eight take downs in the win.
Roy Penn-Consentino (Liberty, N.Y.) grabbed a team-high five catches for 34 yards while
David Ross (Port Jervis, N.Y.) hauled in four Giller throws for a team-high 67 yards.
"I am very proud of how our guys as they fought back hard tonight," said WestConn head coach
Joe Loth. "As a young team, we need to find a way to win this kind of game. We need to learn from this game, what it takes to win."
WestConn opens Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action next Friday, September 17 at the WAC. Kici-off is slated for 7 pm.
Albright travels to cross-town rival Alvernia University next Saturday for a 12 noon game.
