GREENVILLE, Pa. (Sept. 12, 2009) – The Thiel College football team earned its first win of the season – and the first career win for head coach
Kurt Reiser – in Saturday's home-opening, 20-10, victory over Albion College at Alumni Stadium.
Paced by a promising defense and a timely offense, Thiel jumped out to a, 13-0, lead and from the intermission on, never led by fewer than 10 points.
The Tomcat defense held the Britons to 244 yards and forced four turnovers to keep Albion out of the end zone until the 2:05 mark of the fourth quarter. Albion's only other score came on a 41-yard field goal that split the uprights with 14 seconds to go in the first half.
Individually, junior
Bryan Villegas (Spring Hill, Fla./Springstead) (Spring Hill, Fla./Springstead) led the 'Cats with a total of 10 tackles (five unassisted) and sophomore linebacker
Ryan Dawes (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) (Transfer, Pa./ Reynolds) contributed a sack and three tackles for a loss.
Offensively, Thiel racked up 305 yards on 63 plays, 172 of which came on the ground. Senior quarterback
Willie Bova (Port Allegany, Pa./Port Allegany) (Port Allegany, Pa./Port Allegany) rushed 10 times for 75 yards, while tailback
Dan Hess (Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area) (Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area) carried the ball 21 times for 68 yards.
Bova also completed 10 passes for 133 yards and each of Thiel's two touchdowns.
The Tomcats scored twice in the opening quarter, first on an eight-yard strike from Bova to fullback
Mark Dzuback (Greensburg, Pa./Latrobe), and later tacked on a 24-
yard John Madeline (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) field goal.
With the score standing at, 13-3, in the fourth quarter, Thiel found the end zone a second time – this time on a 54-yard Bova bomb to
Brendan Taylor (Girard, Pa./Girard) (Girard, Pa./Girard).
Prior to Saturday, the Tomcats had one only one other home opener at Alumni Stadium – a, 39-36, win over Ohio Wesleyan in 2005.
Thiel takes its show on the road next weekend, when it will pay a visit to Washington & Jefferson for a 7 p.m. contest.
