Saint Vincent Shuts Down Visiting Westminster (Pa.)
LATROBE, Pa. - The Westminster College football team lost at Saint Vincent, 21-9, Saturday in a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) game. Both teams' records are now 5-4 overall and 4-3 in the PAC as they enter a three-way tie with Washington & Jefferson for third place in the PAC.
The Titans lose to the Bearcats for a second straight year, the third time in 11 all-time meetings, and the first time at Saint Vincent since 1949.
With the exception of Westminster scoring a safety late in the third quarter, all of the scoring took place in the first half. Saint Vincent took a 14-0, first-quarter lead that Westminster chopped in half in the second quarter, but the Bearcats went up 21-7 before halftime on Aaron Smetanka's second touchdown pass of the game.
Saint Vincent amassed 369 total yards while limiting the Titans to just 153 total yards, which is their second-lowest offensive output of the season (89 vs. Lycoming) and tied for the second-lowest (vs. Thiel in 2005) since 2001.
Westminster's most productive drive was its 15-play, 65-yard touchdown march that spanned 7:08 of the first and second quarters and concluded with senior quarterback Shawn Lehocky throwing a 10-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Geno Pasquinelli.
Pasquinelli's touchdown reception was his PAC-leading ninth of the season and his 16th career scoring grab tied him with Chad Rosatelli (2006-09) for sixth place in the team history.
Lehocky finished the game 7-for-21 passing for 54 yards with one touchdown, two interceptions and three sacks. Pasquinelli snared six passes for 72 yards.
Westminster sophomore reserve quarterback Tommy Turnbull completed 5 of 14 passes for 88 yards and one interception, with all except one pass attempt coming on the Titans' final two drives of the game.
Sophomore running back Tyler Banks led the Titans' ground game with 35 rushing yards on 14 carries; however, the Titans netted just 11 rushing yards compared to Saint Vincent's 144.
On Saint Vincent's side of the ledger, Smetanka completed 22 of 33 passes for 225 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed eight times for 13 yards including a 6-yard touchdown run for the game's first score.
Smetanka gave the Bearcats leads of 14-0 and 21-7 with touchdown passes of 2 yards to Ricky Douglas and 14 yards to Christian Sutton, respectively. Sutton's occurred with 1:47 left in the second quarter.
Huey Ehredt led Saint Vincent on the ground with 13 totes for 68 yards. The Bearcats' leading receivers were Andre Rogers, five for 49 yards, and Joe Yezovich, five for 68 yards.
Defensively, Westminster freshman defensive back Korrtezz Martin led all tacklers with a game-high 12 stops. Martin also had an interception, his second of the season.
Westminster will host Geneva, Saturday, Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. for the Titans' final game of the season.
