Case Western Reseve’s gauntlet of four games against the top-tier of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference to finish the regular season began on the road vs. Westminster on Oct. 26, and the result was the Spartans’ first loss of the season. It was a difficult way to close a game for Coach Greg Debeljak’s team that began the season 6-0. Case (6-1, 6-1 PAC) trailed, 17-14, in the final seconds before Alex Fromberg’s pass in the flat was intercepted by Lamont Austin. It was a critical mistake as the Spartans were set up inside Westminster’s 20 and in position — at the worst — for a potential game-tying field goal that would have likely forced overtime. The Spartans began the drive at their own 10 with 3 minutes, 22 seconds to play, and trailed, 17-14. A big Fromberg run on fourth-and-1 was the key play on the drive but when Case got in the red zone, it came up short. Andrew Caranna’s 21-yard field goal with a little less than 8 minutes to play was good for a 17-14 lead that held. The loss by Case turns the race for the PAC championship and automatic bid for the NCAA Division III playoffs as close as it can get with three games to play for most of the leaders. Washington & Jefferson is atop the PAC with a 7-1 mark, followed by Case, Carnegie Mellon, Westminster and Grove City all tied with 6-1 marks. On Nov. 2, W&J travels to play at Case. The game was tight throughout. The Spartans opened the scoring with a 32-yard punt return for a TD by Joseph Swarm in the second quarter. Westminster (6-1, 6-1 PAC) tied the game just before halftime on Sean O’Shea’s 3-yard TD run. In the third quarter, Ryan Gomes scored on a 20-yard run and Westminster led, 14-7. Later in the quarter, quarterback Alex Fromberg found Ethan Dahlem (seven catches, 78 yards) on an 11-yard pass that tied the game at 14-14. Fromberg threw for 251 yards on 29 of 51 passing but threw two interceptions. Noah Coyne of NDCL had eight receptions but for just 48 yards. The Spartans had trouble running the ball with just 25 yards on 20 attempts. Westminster gained 177 yards and was led by Gomes’ 86 yards on 21 carries.