2015 NCAA DII championship recap (W 1-0 OT vs. Merrimack)

Related: NFHCA DII preseason poll (ESU No. 1)

Live Stats
Friday (2 p.m.) at #4 Merrimack
Saturday (1 p.m.) at #5 Stonehill

EAST STROUDSBURG - East Stroudsburg University begins the defense of its 2015 NCAA Division II championship this weekend with a pair of games against NCAA Tournament teams, including a rematch of last year's national championship game at Merrimack on Friday at 2 p.m.

The Warriors edged Merrimack, 1-0 (OT), on a penalty stroke on November 22 at Bloomsburg University to claim their first-ever national title in field hockey.

ESU is at Stonehill on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Skyhawks fell 1-0 to Merrimack in last year's national semifinal.

ESU must replace six starters from last year's national championship team as they enter their 33rd season under head coach Sandy Miller, who was named the NFHCA DII Coach of the Year.

Two NFHCA All-America first team selections return in senior midfielder Desiraye Mack (12 goals, 2 assists) and senior back Emily Howell (4 goals, 3 assists), who was named MVP of ESU's 1-0 win vs. Millersville in the PSAC championship game.

Also back are senior goalkeeper Danielle Ard (0.80 gaa), senior back Morgan Firestine and junior midfielder Sydney McCarthy (2 goals, 4 assists), who each started all 22 games last year.

The six departed starters include forward Ally Roth, three-time NFHCA All-America first team, who set school records with 74 goals and 172 points and converted the national championship-winning penalty stroke vs. Merrimack. Roth had 21 goals and two assists in 2015 and was named NFHCA Atlantic Region Athlete of the Year.

Merrimack finished 16-6 last fall and reached the national championship game for the first time in program history. ESU is 6-2 vs. Merrimack in the all-time series, winning 3-2 in the 2013 season opener and 1-0 (OT) last year in the two most recent meetings. Merrimack is led by sophomore forward Mary McNeil, the 2015 Northeast-10 Conference Freshman of the Year, who had 14 goals and 11 assists.

Stonehill was 14-7 last fall on its way to the NE-10 championship and NCAA semifinals. ESU is 10-4 in the all-time series, including a 5-1 win in last year's season opener. The Skyhawks must replace NFHCA DII Athlete of the Year Erika Kelly, who led DII with 27 goals last year and scored 98 goals in her career.