Box Score

BROOKVILLE, N.Y. - East Stroudsburg University scored 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and the Warriors' defense came up with a goal-line stop in the final minute to pull out a 43-35 win at LIU Post in the 2014 season opener on Saturday at newly-named Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium.
 
ESU trailed 35-23 entering the fourth quarter and got a defensive stop before a lightning delay with 11:27 remaining in the fourth quarter, which lasted almost an hour and a half.
 
R-Jr. QB Matt Soltes (467 total yards, 5 TD) drove the offense 57 yards in seven plays, capped by a two-yard TD run by Sr. TB Gerald Van De Cruz that got the Warriors within 35-30 with 8:25 remaining.
 
After another stop, ESU went 70 yards on six plays, and Soltes scored the go-ahead TD on a three-yard run to put ESU ahead 36-35 with 4:40 left. Junior cornerback Teron Dobbs had his second interception of the game on LIU Post's ensuing possession, and Soltes found Sr. WR Dusty Reed all alone behind the defense for a 50-yard TD pass on a third-and-five with 2:28 left.
 
LIU Post fifth-year quarterback Steven Laurino (351 passing yards, 2 TD, 2 rush TD) drove the Pioneers from their 28-yard line to the ESU 10-yard line, picking up a fourth down along the way, before the ESU defense tightened.
 
Laurino ran for seven yards to the three, where he was knocked out of bounds by So. FS Dean Vitale and R-Jr. OLB Jamyl Aminu. Laurino threw incomplete on second, third and fourth downs to turn the ball over to ESU with three seconds left, and Soltes plunged ahead to seal the victory.
 
The comeback was ESU's third-biggest from a fourth-quarter deficit in 419 games (245 wins) under head coach Denny Douds.
 
Soltes, the only returning Harlon Hill candidate in Super Region 1, was 19-for-34 for 384 yards, 4 TD and 1 interception and ran 13 times for 83 yards and a TD.
 
He threw two long TD passes to R-So. TB Robert Healy, covering 62 yards in the first quarter and 28 yards in the second quarter, and threw a 24-yard TD to R-Jr. WR Jon Schnaars late in the second quarter to give ESU a 20-14 halftime lead.
 
LIU Post won the third quarter, 21-3, to set up the dramatic finish. Mike Williams scored on a 25-yard run after an ESU turnover, Laurino hit Shane Hubbard for a five-yard TD and then ran for a two-yard TD to give LIU Post a 35-23 lead with 1:45 remaining in the third quarter.
 
ESU gained 586 total yards - 202 rushing and 384 passing. Healy had four catches for 103 yards and two TD, and 10 carries for 51 yards. Van De Cruz ran 15 times for 57 yards and a TD after scoring 11 rushing TD in his first season at ESU in 2013.
 
Reed had four catches for 126 yards and a TD to lead the receivers. Gerard Wendowski had six catches for 81 yards, R-Sr. TE Steven Jones had three catches for 49 yards and Schnaars had two for 25 yards and a TD.
 
Freshman kicker Matt Smith made his only field goal attempt, a 25-yarder in the third quarter, and was 4-for-5 on extra points.
 
Vitale had 11 tackles and an interception on LIU Post's final possession of the first half. R-Jr. OLB Kaje Cowans had 10 tackles and Fr. S Marc Gaudet and Aminu had eight each.
 
ESU's defense had four sacks, including two in the first half by R-Sr. DE Brandon Gattelli. R-Sr. DL Bryan Thomson, a preseason All-American, and R-Sr. S Anthony Singlar both had sacks on LIU Post's final drive.
 
The Warriors host Slippery Rock in their home opener next Saturday (Sept. 13) at 6:05 p.m. at Eiler-Martin Stadium.

GAME NOTES
* ESU head coach Denny Douds opened his 41st season as head coach, and 49th season at ESU overall. He improved to 30-11 in season openers. ESU has won 7 straight openers since 2008 and 14 of its last 16 since 1999.
* Douds improved to 245-171-3 in 419 career games - the most among active NCAA coaches. Douds ranks 3rd among active coaches, 3rd all-time among DII coaches and t-22nd in NCAA history with Billy Joe, who coached at 4 schools including Cheyney.
* ESU improves to 9-5 all-time against LIU Post, which was a member of the PSAC East from 2008-12 (going 3-2 against ESU). Douds improves to 6-3 against LIU Post head coach Bryan Collins, all since 2004, including a 55-28 win in the Northeast Region final in the 2005 NCAA DII Playoffs.

* The only two 4th-quarter comebacks under Douds that were bigger than Saturday's 12-point (35-23) margin:
18 - 28-10 (won 43-41) at Southern Connecticut State in 1991
13 - 26-13 (won 27-26) vs. Edinboro in 2011
* ESU is now 5-93 in games in which it trails by 10+ points entering the 4th quarter under Douds (since 1974).

* Soltes' 467 total yards are 2nd-most in a season opener in ESU history behind Damian Poalucci's 542 yards vs. New Haven in 1996.
* Soltes had his 7th career game with 400+ total yards, tied with Poalucci for 2nd-most in school history. Jimmy Terwilliger had 11 400+ yard games from 2003-06.
* He had his 13th career game with 300+ total yards (19 career starts), tied with Poalucci for 2nd. Terwilliger had 29 300+ yard games in 48 career starts.
* His 467 total yards are the 5th-most in his career. He had 666 total yards (535 passing, 131 rushing), a PSAC record and NCAA all-division freshman record, in ESU's 45-37 win at LIU Post in 2012.
* In 2 career games at LIU Post, Soltes has 1,133 yards total offense (919 passing, 214 rushing) and 10 TD (9 pass, 1 rush).
* Soltes moved into the top 25 in PSAC history in career total offense (7,341 yards).

* Soltes had his 10th career game with 300+ passing yards (384).
* He also passed Penn State head coach James Franklin '95 for 2nd in career rushing yards by QB (1,091). Franklin had 1,077 yards from 1991-94 (starter in 1993-94). Jimmy Terwilliger holds the record with 1,714 rushing yards.

* Reed (4 catches, 126 yards, TD) had his 8th career 100-yard receiving game, t-7th in school history.
* Healy (4 catches, 103 yards) had his 1st career 100-yard receiving game. Healy had 5 100-yard rushing games as a freshman (ESU freshman record 1,129 rushing yards).
* Healy is the 5th ESU player with 100 yards receiving and 50 yards rushing in 419 games under Douds, with 4 catches for 103 yards and 2 TD, and 10 carries for 51 yards.
* The most recent was Kendrick Williams (4-103 receiving, 20-55 rushing) at Kutztown in 2009.

* Dobbs (2 interceptions) has 10 in his career, including 3 in 2012 and 5 in 2013.
* Vitale (1 interception) has 6 in his career, after picking up 5 passes as a true freshman last season.

* ESU had 7 players make their first career starts - R-Jr. FB Sam Benson, Jr. WR Gerard Wendowski, So. LT Fran McMenamin, R-Fr. LG Devon Ackerman, R-Fr. C John Appice, R-Sr. DL Josh Przywara and Fr. S Marc Gaudet.
* ESU had 16 players see their first action for the Warriors.

* The game featured 1,094 combined yards total offense (ESU 586, LIU Post 508) and 57 1st downs (ESU 30, LIUP 27).  That's tied for the 3rd-most combined 1st downs in an ESU game under Denny Douds (419) games. The record of 64 (ESU 34) was set in ESU's 45-37 win at LIU Post in 2012.

* Next week, Douds (Slippery Rock '63) faces his alma mater for the 12th time and first since 2009. The Rock is 8-3 against Douds (11-3 against ESU overall), but the Warriors have won the last two - 54-28 at home in 2009, and 38-21 at the Rock in 2008.
* Slippery Rock opened with a 37-26 win over Kutztown on Saturday night. SRU trailed 20-0 early in the 2nd quarter before scoring 37 straight.