Box Score

LOCK HAVEN - Redshirt senior quarterback Matt Soltes led a game-winning 80-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, capped by a nine-yard TD pass to senior wide receiver Gerard Wendowski with 1:32 remaining, and a Lock Haven field goal went wide left in the final seconds as East Stroudsburg University held on for a 37-34 win in its PSAC East football opener on Saturday at Hubert Jack Stadium.
 
Soltes was 25-for-46 for 314 yards and five touchdowns and added 115 yards rushing for ESU (2-2, 1-0), which led 23-7 late in the second quarter before 21 straight points gave Lock Haven (0-4, 0-1) a 28-23 lead at intermission.

After a scoreless third quarter, Soltes threw a five-yard TD pass to Wendowski (5 catches, 40 yards, 3 TD) to complete an 89-yard drive and put the Warriors ahead 29-28 with 14:09 remaining.

Following an ESU interception by junior safety Jimmy Verzicco and a turnover on downs, LHU drove 76 yards with Caleb Walton (20-for-38, 234 yards, 4 TD) throwing a 38-yard TD pass to Shawn Seif to take a 34-29 lead with 8:32 left.

ESU drove to the LHU 43-yard line before electing to punt on fourth-and-four, with redshirt freshman Sam O'Brien pinning the Bald Eagles at their own 10-yard line with 5:39 left.

Walton and running back Beau Swales (27 carries, 193 yards) moved LHU to the ESU 13 before the Warriors defense held. Alex Boumerhi came on to attempt a 30-yard field goal, which was blocked by redshirt senior defensive lineman Steven Wright to keep the score 34-29 with 3:20 left.

Soltes moved the Warriors the ensuing 80 yards on seven plays, going 4-for-5 for 43 yards and running twice for 22 yards. The drive was also aided by a roughing the passer penalty.

Soltes ran for 15 yards, hit redshirt senior wide receiver Jon Schnaars (9 catches, 88 yards, TD) for 11 yards and then 17 to move the ball to the LHU 37. After a six-yard completion to Wendowski, the roughing the passer foul gave ESU a first down at the 16.

Soltes ran for seven yards on first down, then found Wendowski for the go-ahead score with 1:32 left. Soltes hit freshman tailback James Bell for the two-point conversion to establish a 37-34 lead.

Walton converted a fourth-and-three and third-and-10 to get LHU into ESU territory, but the Warriors held at the 27. LHU head coach Dave Taynor sent Boumerhi on to attempt a game-tying 44-yard field goal with eight seconds left, but the kick was wide left.

Soltes had his 11th career game with 400 yards total offense in his 30th career start, tying a school record held by Jimmy Terwilliger (2003-06, 48 starts). He had his third game with at least 300 yards passing and 100 yards rushing.

Soltes became the sixth QB in PSAC history with 100 career total touchdowns, 96 passing and six rushing. He went over the 11,000-yard mark for career total offense and is 21 yards shy of 10,000 passing yards in his career.

Redshirt junior tailback Robert Healy had 167 yards from scrimmage, gaining 76 yards rushing on 14 carries and 91 yards receiving on five catches.

Wendowski had three TD catches one week after catching his first career TD pass in a 56-12 win vs. Edinboro. Senior wide receiver Joe Welk added three catches for 71 yards.

ESU gained 527 total yards on 88 plays (314 passing, 213 rushing), while Lock Haven had 494 yards on 85 plays (234 passing, 260 rushing).

LHU scored on its first possession, a 22-yard TD from Walton to Jeremy Cornelius, before the Warriors scored 23 straight points to take a 23-7 lead.

The Warriors got on the board with a safety, as LHU was flagged for holding in the end zone after stopping ESU on downs on its previous series.

Soltes threw an 11-yard TD pass to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Tommy House, his first career TD, for a 9-7 lead with 1:30 left in the first quarter.

He connected with Schnaars for a two-yard TD and Wendowski from 10 yards out in the second quarter, before Lock Haven scored 21 straight - a four-yard pass from Walton to Shaun Jones, a 14-yard rushing TD by Walton and a 14-yard pass to David Cook - to go in front, 28-23, at the break.

The go-ahead TD with 1:32 left was ESU's first game-winning score in the final two minutes since a 33-yard TD pass from Soltes to Tim Wilson with five seconds left in a 35-28 win vs. West Chester in 2012.

It was ESU's first game-winning TD after trailing entering the drive since a 27-26 win vs. Edinboro in the 2011 season finale, when Ray Wagner threw a 21-yard TD to Dusty Reed on the final play of regulation.

The Warriors host Shippensburg next Saturday in a 6:05 p.m. kickoff at Eiler-Martin Stadium. Ship (2-2, 0-1) fell 17-6 at home vs. Bloomsburg on Saturday.


GAME NOTES
* ESU extended its winning streak in the series to seven games, and leads the all-time series 11-6.
* Saturday's game was ESU's first at Lock Haven since a 58-13 win in 2007.

* Head coach Denny Douds improves to 252-178-3 in his 42nd season. Douds coached his 500th overall game at ESU last week, including 68 games as an assistant coach from 1966-73.
* Douds has coached in the most games (433) among active NCAA football coaches and is 9th in NCAA history.
* He holds the PSAC record, ranks 3rd in DII history, 20th in NCAA history and 3rd among active NCAA coaches in career wins (252).

* Douds faced LHU first-year head coach Dave Taynor for the first time, his 108th opponent as head coach. Douds improves to 71-37 vs. first-time foes.

* Soltes, a two-time Harlon Hill candidate, led active DII QB's in career total offense  per game (342.5 ypg) entering the week, ranking 4th in DII history.
* Soltes had his 11th career game with 400 yards total offense in his 30th career start.
* He ties Jimmy Terwilliger (2003-06), the 2005 Harlon Hill winner, for the most 400-yard games in program history. Terwilliger made 48 career starts.

* Soltes had his 9th career game with 5+ TD passes, the most in school history. Terwilliger had 8 games with 5+ TD passes.

* Soltes moves into 5th in PSAC history in career total offense (11,390 yards).
* He moves into 7th in PSAC history in career passing yards (9,979 yards).
* He moves into 5th in PSAC history in career passing TD (96).
* He moves into 6th in PSAC history in career TD responsible for (102 - 96 passing, 6 rushing).

* Schnaars moves into 6th at ESU in career receptions (156).
* He remains 8th at ESU in career receiving yards (2,373).
* He moves into a tie for 3rd at ESU in career receiving TD (27).
* Schnaars has 31 catches for 536 yards and 4 TD through 4 games. He was 6th in DII in receiving yards (149.3 ypg) entering the week.
* Schnaars' 31 receptions through 4 games are the most in program history.
* Schnaars is the first ESU player since 1991 (Ken Kopetchny) with 9 catches in consecutive games. He had 9 for 200 yards and 2 TD last week vs. Edinboro.

* Healy is the first ESU player with 2,000 career yards rushing (2,287) and 1,000 yards receiving (1,084).
* He is the 3rd ESU player with 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 receiving:
Anthony Carfagno (2002-05) - 1,508 rushing, 2,425 receiving
Jason Killian (1993-96) - 1,001 rushing, 1,722 receiving

* Healy had 100+ yards from scrimmage (167) for the 21st time in 26 career starts.
* He led active PSAC players in career yards from scrimmage per game (128.2 ypg) entering the week.
* He was the only DII player with 200+ yards rushing (265) and receiving (228) entering the week.
* He now has 660 yards from scrimmage (165.0 ypg) through 4 games, 341 rushing and 319 receiving.
* His 660 yards from scrimmage through 4 games are the most in program history. Andre Castiglioni had 609 yards in 2000, and Healy had 595 yards in 2014.
* Healy remains 4th at ESU in career yards from scrimmage (3,371).

* Wendowski has 4 TD receptions in the last 2 games, the first 4 TD of his career.
* House had his first career TD catch on Saturday.

* Fr. RT Michael Fleming made his 1st career start and saw his 1st career action for the Warriors on the offensive line.
* R-Sr. OLB Kaje Cowans made his 1st start of the season and the 22nd of his career, 3rd-most among active ESU defensive players (Sr. CB Teron Dobbs 32, Jr. FS Dean Vitale 24).

* Jr. S Jimmy Verzicco, the reigning PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week, had 12 tackles, his first career interception and a pass breakup. Verzicco had 8 tackles and 2 pass breakups last week vs. Edinboro.