DANBURY - The Colonials of Western Connecticut State University took the field for the first time this season on Saturday night and faced the Hartwick Hawks.
The Hawks struck first on the opening drive when Billy Pine went untouched around the right side for the score. The Hawks went up 7-0 and push the lead to 14-0. The Colonials mounted a comeback when they went for it on fourth down. Quinn Fleeting from the shotgun fired over the middle. The ball is tipped to Dimitrios Tsesmetzis who foughts his way for the end zone plus the point after and Western leads 15-14 at the half.
The second half just got crazy, when with over six minutes left in the third quarter, Pine again on the keeper got blasted but stayed on his feet and somehow found the end zone to put the Hawks back in front 21-15. Late in the fourth, Hartwick led 24-21 when Fleeting found Jaward Chisholm on the sideline who sidestepped one defender then raced for the house to give the Colonials back the lead.
On the ensuing drive with under two minutes remaining, Pine lofted the pass to Brad Garcia in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown plus the point after and Hawks went back in front 31-28.
The drama still wasn’t over, when with under a minute left Quinn fired a pass down the sideline to a wide open Chisholm and nobody was going to catch him as he got the winning touchdown.
Western Connecticut wins a thriller to open the season 35-31.
