At their home opening game of the season on Saturday, Sept. 22, the Vikings (2-1) were defeated by the Illinois Wesleyan Titans 41-24 in their first loss of the year.
The game started off with the Vikings leading 10-0, but the Titans continued to push their way to a 24-point lead in the third quarter. The Vikings started to make a comeback towards the end, but time was not on their side.
Senior quarterback Zach Fuller (181 yards) said that the team is still staying positive even after their first loss.
“I’m happy that we kept fighting and didn’t give up. We shot ourselves in the foot a few times but we have to focus on one game at a time,” Fuller said.
The Vikings started the night off with a successful field goal and a scored touchdown from an interception by junior Luke Sawicki. With a 10-point lead in the first few minutes of the game, this looked to be another win for the Vikings.
At the end of the first quarter, another interception was caught by senior Cassin Wolfe, but the Vikings were unable to score. With just a few minutes remaining on the clock, the Titans made their first touchdown in the first half of the game.
Coming into the second quarter, the Titans intercepted the ball to score once again, then taking a 4-point lead. Two more Titan touchdowns made the score 27-10 at the half.
The third quarter started with another Titan touchdown. The Vikings then responded with a touchdown, making the score 34-17.
The Augustana football team will continue to stick to their game play as they continue the season. After the game, head coach Steve Bell said how he is hopeful for the rest of the team’s season.
“Looking forward, mental toughness has to come out. This conference has tough teams, but I am excited to see continual growth throughout the season,” Bell said. “We focus on getting better than [the] last week.”
Bell said that the team practices cohesive plays and puts an emphasis on trust so that the players know they are playing for the overall success of the team.
Their next game will take place in Decatur, Illinois against Millikin on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 6:30 p.m.
Photo Above: Augustana football players tackle the Wesleyan football players to prevent a touchdown. Photo by Christina Rossetti.