Quarterback Jeremy Palm (Sr., West Lawn, Pa./Wilson) and tailback Andre Castiglioni (Sr., Reading, Pa./Muhlenberg) sparked a furious second-half comeback, but the Warriors finally fell to Shepherd, 33-26, in a non-conference football game.

Palm passed for three touchdowns and 203 of his game total of 226 yards in the second half. He fired scoring passes of 16 yards to Justin Kondikoff (So., Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth), 30 yards to John Kotarsky (Sr., Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) and six yards to Chris Bath (Sr., Dallas, Pa./Lake Lehman). He has thrown for 538 yards and seven touchdowns with only one interception in the team's three games.

Castiglioni ran for 131 of his total of 157 yards and scored on a 13-yard run which tied the game at 20-20 early in the fourth quarter. It was his fourth straight 100-yard game, third this season, and gave him 496 yards for an average of 165.3 yards per game.

The Warriors' defense also toughened in the third quarter, allowing only a field goal. The Rams took the lead, 27-20, on Alex Herbert's 27-yard run and Kevin Burkey's extra point with 10:23 remaining. ESU quickly moved down the field 72 yards for what apparantly was the tying touchdown on the Palm-to-Bath aerial, but the extra point was wide leaving a one-point differential. Shepherd scored a touchdown in the final minute which had the effect of giving ESU a chance to tie or win the game on its last series which ended on the Rams' 47-yard line.

Linebacker Ryan Vermillion (So., Elverson, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) was the Warriors' top tackler with 11 while tackle Dustin Barno (Jr., Easton, Pa./Easton) had ten tackles, including two sacks for 14 yards and another tackle for loss for four yards. Safety Jeremy Brown (Sr., Centreville, Va./Centreville) made an interception, his third of the season, and recovered a fumble. Cornerback Nick Beisker (So., Lancaster, Pa./Conestoga Valley) also had an interception.

Stellar senior guard Jim Sodano (Sr., Madison, N.J./Bayley-Ellard) and tackle Dan Bratton (Sr., Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights) made the 80 percent for their blocking for the third straight week. Sodano scored 86 percent and Bratton 83 percent.

Mike Lotocki (Jr., Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) scored two goals and had an assist and was named the outstanding offensive player of the 15th Kiwanis-ESU Soccer Classic. Sweeper back Sean Stewart (Jr., St. Elizabeth, Jamaica/Munro College) was chosen as the outstanding defensive player.

The Warriors won their fifth straight Kiwanis-ESU Classic by beating Bridgeport, 3-1, and Concordia, 4-0. It ended an up-and-down week for the team, which lost its first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference game in three years, bowing to West Chester, 2-1, on Wednesday.

Against Bridgeport, Tom Mustac (Sr., West Milford, N.J./Clifton) scored two goals and Chris Pinto (Sr., Glen Ridge, N.J./St. Benedict's) had the other goal. Joey Piscopo (Jr., Spotswood, N.J./Spotswood) had a pair of assists.

Lotocki tallied twice and Stewart and Brad Konawalik (Sr., Brodheadsville, Pa./ Pleasant Valley) once apiece in the Concordia game. Goalie Jason Land (Gr., Carney's Point, N.J./St. James) made four saves over 78 minutes to post the shutout.

Shannon McCracken (Jr., Collegeville, Pa./Methacton) was named the outstanding player as the Warriors beat Slippery Rock, 6-0, and IUP, 2-0, to win the annual ESU Field Hockey Tournament. McCracken was a standout from her center back position, sending ball into the circle on offense and getting back to lead the defense.

Kate Dideon (Sr., Lancaster, Pa./Living Word Academy) tallied a pair of goals against Slippery Rock. Mandy Sturm (Jr., Sherman's Dale, Pa./West Perry), Mardelle Swoyer (Sr., Jonestown, Pa./ Northern Lebanon) , Steph Hippman (So., New Buffalo, Pa./Susquenita) and Jody Laverdure (So, Fleetwood, Pa./Fleetwood) all added goals.

Against IUP, the PSAC runner-up last year, Dideon assisted on the first goal which was scored by Michelle Butkus (Sr., Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone). McCracken also had an assist on the play. Hippman then converted a penalty stroke for the second goal.

Goalie Kelly Wagner (Jr., Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown and backs Nicole Kocis (Fr., Buckingham, Pa./Central Bucks East) and Becca Henderson (Jr., Honesdale, Pa./Honesdale) were the team's top defensive players during the tournament.

Earlier in the week, the Warriors bowed to defending PSAC and NCAA Division II champion Lock Haven, 1-0, on a second-half penalty stroke.

Forward Justina Woolf (Sr., Womelsdorf, Pa./Tulpehocken) booted in a game-winning overtime goal and had a 'hat trick' to give the Warriors two victories in three games last week.

Woolf scored with 6:21 gone in overtime in a 2-1 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference win over West Chester. She then scored all three goals in a 3-2 decision over Adelphi. She now has 48 goals for her career, which includes four 'hat tricks' and 12 game-winning goals.

Gwen Gemberling (Jr., Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) had the other goal against West Chester. Freshman Kate Melcer (Fr., Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) scored her first career goal as the Warriors bowed to IUP, 3-1, in their third game of the week.

The Warriors opened defense of their Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division by beating Shippensburg, 3-1. Jessica Nourse (Jr., Hanover, Pa./ Williamsburg) made 13 kills while April Mellott (Jr., Dover, Pa./Spring Grove) had 12 kills and 17 digs. Andrea Myers (Jr., Mount Wolf, Pa./Northeastern) was the team leader in digs with 19.

Over the weekend, the ESU spikers split four matches in the Lock Haven Classic, beating Lees-McRae and Merrimack by 3-1 scores, losing to Pace, 3-1, and to host Lock Haven, 3-0. Sarah Brown (So., Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove) led the way in the win over Lees-McRae with 12 kills in 22 attempts and only three errors for a .409 hitting average.

The Warriors had a balanced attack in the victory over Merrimack with Myers and Brown both having 12 kills and Mellott 11.