DOVER, Del. - The Salisbury University football team suffered its first Atlantic Central Football Conference loss of the year on Saturday afternoon as the Sea Gulls fell to No. 3 Wesley College, 30-12, in front of 2,016 at Scott D. Miller Stadium. The contest featured the top two teams in the ACFC as both Wesley and Salisbury came into the game undefeated in conference play. With the victory, Wesley claims its fifth consecutive ACFC championship.

Salisbury (4-4, 1-1 ACFC) fell into an early hole as Wesley opened the scoring with a touchdown on its first drive of the game. After struggling for much of the first quarter offensively, SU was able to get its offense rolling when junior slot back Warren Anderson (Vienna, Va.) scored from 4 yards out to cap a four-play, 68-yard drive. Wesley was poised to further its lead on the ensuing drive but the SU defense would have none of it as senior defensive back Brandon Hudson (Delmar, Md.) picked off Shane McSweeny in the end zone for his seventh interception of the year.

Wesley (8-0, 3-0 ACFC) scored the next three touchdowns in the game to take a commanding lead but Salisbury would respond with a push of its own. The maroon and gold brought the game to within 18 points late in the third quarter when junior quarterback Sean Kelly (Fallston, Md.) hit senior wideout D.J. Nelson (Mullica Hill, N.J.) for a 51-yard aerial strike to help set up a 6-yard touchdown scamper from senior slot back Valdase Morris (Salisbury, Md.). The tally proved to be the final of the game as both defenses limited the opposition to minimal yardage the rest of the way.

SU came into the game averaging an ACFC-high 260 rushing yards per contest but was limited to just 84 against the Wolverines. Morris and junior slot back Bryan Woolson (White Hall, Md.) led the rushing attack with 44 yards apiece, while Anderson carried twice for one score. Sophomore slot back Tyler Curley (Ellicott City, Md.) spearheaded the receiving corps with three receptions for 57 yards. Kelly finished the day 5-for-10 with 113 yards passing and senior punter Andrew Geisert (White Plains, Md.) booted five punts for 198 yards.

The Salisbury defense was led by sophomore defensive back Ricky Cassidy (Edgewater, Md.), who collected a career-high 10 tackles. Senior defensive back Antione Cuff (Landover, Md.) and reigning ACFC Rookie of the Week, Matt McMurdo (Chalfont, Pa.), each had seven tackles apiece. The seven tackles by McMurdo were a career-high. Sophomore linebacker Arinze Obiako (Odenton, Md.) and senior linebacker Eric Ardnt (Waldwick, N.J.) each had six tackles while junior linebacker Justin Chura (Lothian, Md.) and senior linebacker Tom Fontaine (Philadelphia, Pa.) each had five. Fontaine and Hudson each posted one interception.

Salisbury will hit the road for its second consecutive road contest when the Sea Gulls travel to No. 24 Hampden-Sydney College on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 1 p.m. The meeting will be the first between the two teams in 19 years as HSC pinned a 38-30 decision over SU on Oct. 27, 1990.