WHEATON, Ill. – The (RV) Washington University in St. Louis football team suffered a 28-24 heartbreaker at No. 20 Wheaton on Saturday afternoon. The Bears are now 5-2 on the year with a 4-2 mark in CCIW play.

WashU punted on its first drive after reaching its own 49, and Wheaton scored the first points of the game on its first drive.

On the first play of the drive, Matt Crider lost a yard before quarterback Mark Forcucci connected with Seth Kortenhoeven for an eight-yard pass. The Thunder were whistled for a false start, moving them back to their own 27.

Forcucci hit Kortenhoeven again, this time for 22 yards and a first down at the 49. Crider picked up five yards up the middle, and Forcucci found Kortenhoeven for 12 yards to the 34. Forcucci and Kortenhoeven connected again for a 34-yard touchdown pass, and Mateo Jesch's kick was good, putting Wheaton ahead 7-0.

The Bears tied things up on the next drive. Junior Matthew Kinoshita started things off with a 19-yard run for a first down at WashU's 44. Junior quarterback Levi Moore connected with junior Drew Bomar for 13 yards and a first down at the 43, and Moore followed with a three-yard run to the right.

Moore hit Kinoshita for eight yards and a first down at the 13 and then ran for seven yards, followed by four yards for another first down at the two-yard line. Moore ran the final two yards for a touchdown, and sophomore Matias Adrogue's kick was good, making it a 7-7 game with just over two minutes left in the first quarter.

Wheaton began its next drive with a 13-yard run from Crider for a first down at the Thunder's 47. Crider picked up another three yards before Forcucci and Crider connected for a 21-yard pass and a first down at the 29. Forcucci hit Kortenhoeven for the final 29 yards and a touchdown, and Jesch's kick was good for a 14-7 Wheaton lead with 19 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Senior Fred Ware ran for two yards to begin the Bears' next drive and end the first quarter. Moore hit junior Makael Carter for 18 yards to open the second quarter, and Ware had a five-yard run followed by 14 yards for a first down at the 35.

Kinoshita ran for five yards, and Moore hit Carter for nine yards and a first down at the 21. Moore kept it and ran for four yards, followed by another nine yards and two yards. The Bears were then whistled for a holding call, moving them back to the 18.

Following an incomplete pass, Moore was sacked for a loss of six yards but then hit junior John Benke for 13 yards to the 11. Sitting at fourth-and-11, WashU went for a 28-yard field goal from Adrogue, which was good for a 14-10 game with 7:43 remaining in the second quarter.

Crider began Wheaton's drive with a three-yard run before an incomplete pass from Forcucci after a quarterback hurry from junior Max Draheim. Forcucci found Ben Juska for 14 yards and a first down at the Thunder's 42 and then connected with Whit Jewell for four yards. The duo connected again for 12 yards and a first down at the 42, followed by a four-yard run from Crider.

Forcucci hit Crider for 10 yards and a first down at the 28 and then kept the ball for a nine-yard run to the 19. Forcucci found Juska for a six-yard pass and then threw to Caleb Titherington for a 13-yard touchdown. Jesch's kick was good, putting the Thunder up 21-10 with 1:46 remaining in the second quarter.

Moore opened the next drive for the Bears by exploding for a 30-yard run to the 40. Moore connected with Benke for 22 yards to the 18 and then hit Carter for 17 yards. Moore ran the final yard for a touchdown, and Adrogue's kick was good, cutting Wheaton's lead to 21-17 at the half.

After three straight drives resulting in punts, the Bears took the lead with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Moore hit sophomore Charlie Flowers for a six-yard pass to begin the drive and then kept the ball for a two-yard run. Moore connected with Bomar for 18 yards and a first down at the Bears' 35, followed by two runs from Kinoshita totaling nine yards.

Moore ran for eight yards and a first down at the 48 and then threw a 29-yard pass to Bomar for another first down at the 19. Moore had a one-yard loss before hitting Bomar for a three-yard touchdown pass. Adrogue's kick was good, putting the Bears up 24-21 with 3:07 on the clock.

Forcucci began Wheaton's next drive with a nine-yard pass to Juska, and Crider ran for two yards and a first down at the Thunder's 32. Forcucci hit Titherington for 16 yards and a first down at the Wheaton 48 before connecting again with Titherington for four yards. Crider ran for three yards followed by seven yards for the final play of the third quarter.

Forcucci opened the fourth quarter with a 38-yard touchdown pass to Juska, and Jesch's kick was good, putting the Thunder ahead 28-24.

On the Bears' next drive, they reached their own 42 before Moore's pass was intercepted by Colin Moore.

Wheaton reached the 27 on its next drive and went for a 44-yard field goal, but Jesch's attempt was no good.

On WashU's final drive of the game, the Bears were at third-and-10 at the 21, but Moore's pass was intercepted at the 15 by Wheaton's Zeke Harris with 28 seconds left, ending the Bears' go-ahead run.

WashU had 412 yards of total offense (262 passing, 150 rushing) while Wheaton had 388 yards of total offense (282 passing, 106 rushing).

Moore went 21-for-30 for 262 yards with one passing touchdown and two interceptions. Moore also led the run game with 65 yards on 17 attempts with two touchdowns. Ware had 45 yards on 12 attempts, while Kinoshita had 40 yards on nine attempts.

Bomar led the receivers with 81 yards on six catches with one touchdown. Carter had 74 yards on six catches.

Defensively, junior Joey Chane had seven total tackles (4 solo, 3 assists) while junior Henry Murry had five assists and 0.5 tackles-for-loss. Senior Salomon Dessalines had four total tackles (1 solo, 3 assists), as did junior Spencer Snipe (2 solo, 2 assists).

The Bears are back on the road again next weekend at Millikin for a 1 p.m. Saturday game. The following week, WashU closes out its regular-season home slate with a 12 p.m. game against North Park, which will be Senior Day.

------------------------------------------

Elevating scholar-champions requires resources beyond the institutional budget. Through the W Club, generous alumni, parents, and friends provide unrestricted support that is essential to the extraordinary WashU student-athlete experience—and the ongoing growth and development of the department. Annual support for Athletics allows the Bears to consistently rise to national levels of competition and ensures that our student-athletes enjoy exceptional opportunities as they train, compete, and lead. To make a gift to the Annual Fund for Athletics, please visit our secure online giving form or contact the Athletics Advancement Office at athletics@wustl.edu.