CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Senior quarterback Jeff Ziemba (Newark, Del./St. Mark's) completed 15-of-26 passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for a score to lead Shepherd University (2-0, 2-0 MEC) to a 38-22 win over University of Charleston (0-2, 0-2 MEC) in MEC football action at University of Charleston Stadium on Thursday night.

Shepherd took a 3-0 with 9:39 left in the first quarter when freshman kicker Brendan Feehan (Haymarket, Va./Battlefield) connected on a 26-yard field goal.

Charleston answered back with a one-yard touchdown plunge by Tevion Cappe with 43 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Golden Eagles extended their lead to 14-3 when Marvin Elam scored on a one-yard run with10:35 left in the second quarter.

Shepherd cut the lead to 14-9 when Ziemba teamed with senior wide receiver Billy Brown (Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg) on a four-yard touchdown with 6:53 left in the second quarter. The extra point attempt was blocked.

The score was set up by a 10-yard interception return by senior Tre Sullivan (Accokeek, Md./Gwynn Park) which gave the Rams possession at the UC 32-yard line.

Shepherd took a 16-14 lead into the break when Ziemba and Brown teamed on a 31-yard scoring strike with 5:58 left in the half.

The Rams took a 22-14 advantage when Ziemba fired a 45-yard scoring strike to senior wide receiver CJ Davis (Hagerstown, Md./South Hagerstown) with 3:31 left in the third quarter.

The Golden Eagles tied the game at 22-22 when Mason Olszewski teamed with D'Andre Brooks on a 46-yard scoring pass. Blane Stewart tossed a two-point conversion pass to Ryan Gamber to even the score.

Ziemba scored on a one-yard plunge with 9:04 left in the fourth quarter. Junior kicker Zach Wise (Berkeley Springs, W.Va./Berkeley Springs) added the extra point to give the Rams a 29-22 lead.

Charleston was called for a chop block in the end zone which resulted in a safety with 5:21 left in the fourth quarter to up the Shepherd lead to 31-22.

The Rams completed the scoring when freshman running back Brandon Hlavach (Baltimore, Md./Eastern Tech) scored on a three-yard run with 39 seconds left in the game.

Ziemba rushed 12 times for 56 yards to lead the Shepherd ground attack. Olszewski had 11 carries for 81 yards to lead the Golden Eagles.

Brown had seven receptions for 94 yards to lead the Shepherd receiving corps. Brooks had four catches for 69 yards to lead Charleston.

Shepherd amassed 330 yards of total offense while West Virginia Wesleyan totaled 325.

Junior linebacker James Gupton (Waldorf, Md./North Point) led the Rams with 11 tackles (3 solo), while senior inside linebacker Octavius Thomas (Myrtle Beach, S.C./Myrtle Beach) contributed 10 (6 solo). Jalen Nelson and Rakheem Stallings each had eight tackles to lead the Golden Eagles.

The Rams return to action on Saturday when they host UVa-Wise at noon at Ram Stadium for Hall of Fame Weekend.

Notes: Jeff Ziemba had 15 completions on the day to reach 537 for his career and break the school career mark held by Joel Gordon (522, 1999-2002) … Brown's seven catches today give him 164 for his career, breaking the school mark held by Jason Dirting (158, 1998-2001) … Brown broke the record on his first touchdown grab of the night.