NCAA DII Championships page (hosted by Bloomsburg University)
* NCAA online program

First Round - Saturday, Nov. 14
12 p.m. - Millersville vs. West Chester  -- West Chester W 2-1 (2OT)
6 p.m. - Merrimack vs. Adelphi  -- Merrimack W 2-1 (OT)

Thursday, Nov. 19
* Community Engagement photos at Central Columbia Elementary School (4th grade)
* McCarthy - Elite 90 Award recipient (top GPA at championship site)

Semifinals - Friday, Nov. 20
12 p.m. - Stonehill vs. Merrimack
3 p.m. - ESU vs. West Chester (Watch  l  Live Stats)

Championship - Sunday, Nov. 22 (1:30 p.m.)

Related: PSAC championship recap


EAST STROUDSBURG - East Stroudsburg University will look to advance to the NCAA Division II field hockey championship game for the second time in program history when the Warriors face West Chester in the national semifinals on Friday at 3 p.m. at Bloomsburg University.

ESU (17-3), the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Region, had a first-round bye to the semifinals, while West Chester (17-4), the No. 3 seed, advanced with a 2-1 (OT) win at Millersville last Saturday.

In the first semifinal, Stonehill (14-6), the East Region No. 1 seed, takes on No. 2 seed Merrimack (15-5) at 12 p.m.

The NCAA DII championship game will be contested Sunday at 1:30 p.m., all at Bloomsburg.

The Warriors reached their only championship game in 2001, falling 4-2 vs. Bentley. They are in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time overall, qualifying for the DII Tournament in 2001, 2009-10 and 2015 following DIII appearances in 1987-88 and 1990.

ESU won the first PSAC championship in program history in its last action on November 8, edging Millersville 1-0.

The Warriors will play West Chester for the third time this season, winning 4-0 on September 26 and 3-1 on November 6 in the PSAC semifinals, both at Whitenight Field.

West Chester is in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight season after reclassifying from DI. The Golden Rams were national champions in 2011 and 2012 and made two DI Tournament appearances in 1986 and 1987.

Stonehill and Merrimack are both seeking their first-ever spot in the DII championship game. Stonehill is in the field for the third straight year and seventh time in the last 11 years, while Merrimack qualified for the fourth time in five years. Merrimack advanced with a 2-1 (OT) win vs. Adelphi last weekend.

Merrimack won both regular season meetings with Stonehill this season, 4-2 on its home field on September 17 and 4-3 on the road on October 27.

Four of the DII's top five scoring teams will converge on Bloomsburg this weekend. Stonehill is 1st in DII in scoring (3.55 goals per game), followed by West Chester (2nd - 3.52), ESU (4th - 3.0) and Merrimack (5th - 2.90).

ESU is the top defensive team of the final four, ranking 2nd in DII with a 0.74 goals against average. Merrimack is 8th (1.29), West Chester 10th (1.32) and Stonehill 17th (2.09) of 31 schools in DII.

Each team boasts one of the top scorers in DII led by Stonehill's Erika Kelly, the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year and the national leader in goals per game (1.35) and points per game (3.25) with 27 goals and 11 assists in 20 games. Kelly ranks second in DII history in career goals (98) and third in career points (217).

ESU senior forward Ally Roth is fourth in DII in goals per game (0.95) and seventh in points (2.0), with 19 goals and two assists. Roth is third among active DII players in career goals (72) and points (168), holding school records in both categories.

West Chester sophomore Rachal Toppi is third in DII in goals per game (1.0) and points (2.29), with 23 goals and two assists. She already ranks fifth among active DII players in career goals (45) in just two seasons.

Merrimack freshman Mary McNeil is ninth in DII in points per game (1.90), with 14 goals and 10 assists in 20 games, and was named NE-10 Freshman of the Year.

Stonehill and Merrimack have both been regulars on ESU's non-conference schedule in recent years. The Warriors hold a 10-4 advantage in the all-time series vs. Stonehill, including a 5-1 win in its season opener on September 5 after Stonehill had won the previous two meetings.

ESU is 5-2 in its series vs. Merrimack, most recently posting a 3-2 win in the 2013 season opener.

The Warriors, under 32nd-year head coach Sandy Miller (374 career wins), have tied a school record with 17 wins this season, matching a mark set in 1995 (17-4) and equaled in 2010 (17-6).

ESU is led by six All-PSAC selections, including three first teamers - Roth, junior midfielder Desiraye Mack and junior back Emily Howell, the PSAC championship game MVP. Senior midfielder Rebecca Snyder was named to the second team, with junior back Morgan Firestine and senior back Amanda Wnorowski on the third team.

The Warriors start five seniors, five juniors and one sophomore on an experienced team, with nine players starting all 20 games this season.

All three defenders were named to the All-PSAC team with Howell on the first team and Firestine and Wnorowski on the third team. The Warriors have allowed just 15 goals in their 20 games, including seven shutouts.

Wnorowski is in her third year as a starter and gained her second All-PSAC honor after she was named to the second team last year. She has made 61 career starts. Howell has made 34 career starts (4 goals, 3 assists this season) and Firestine has made 30 starts.

Junior goalkeeper Danielle Ard, in her second year as a starter, ranks second in DII in goals against average (0.78) and has started all 20 games.

The Warriors play five in the midfield with Mack as the most central player. She gained her second All-PSAC honor (1st team 2015, 3rd team 2014) and has started all 59 games in her career. She has 10 goals and one assist this season, and 13 goals and seven assists overall.

Snyder has made 21 career starts (all 20 this year) and has five goals and nine assists. Other starting midfielders are senior Lindsay Blum (33 career starts - 1 goal this season), senior Samantha Hosford (19 starts - 1 goal) and sophomore Sydney McCarthy (20 starts - 2 goals, 3 assists).

Roth was named to the All-PSAC first team at forward for the third straight year. She was the 2014 PSAC Offensive Athlete of the Year and is a two-time NFHCA All-America first team selection. Roth has scored 19 of ESU's 60 goals this season, and has 72 of the 130 goals scored by current Warriors.

Junior Marisa Miro has started all 20 games at forward and has five goals and two assists, scoring in both the PSAC semifinal win vs. West Chester (3-1) and the game's only goal in the PSAC championship game vs. Millersville. Junior Robin Stevenson has contributed five goals and two assists off the bench.

Other key reserves include sophomore midfielder Ashley Chioda and freshman midfielder Paige Harrold (3 goals, 4 assists), who has two of her three goals this season vs. West Chester. Both have played in all 20 games. Sophomore Melanie Shambaugh (16 games), freshman Amanda Crampton (13 games) and freshman Makenna Marhefka (12 games) have also been regular contributors.

ESU's wins vs. West Chester this season were its first since 1960. The series was dormant between 1984 and 2010 when the Golden Rams were members of Division I. WCU had won the last nine meetings since 2011, including a pair of victories in the PSAC Tournament. WCU was 31-0-3 since ESU's win in 1960. The Warriors were 4-3-3 in the first 10 meetings from 1949-60 for an all-time series record of 6-34-6.

The PSAC has won 20 of the last 23 Division II national championships since 1992.

ESU is ranked No. 1 in current NFHCA DII poll, with West Chester No. 3, Stonehill No. 4 and Merrimack No. 6.