PSAC lacrosse tournament release

EAST STROUDSBURG – A trio of high-scoring juniors lead East Stroudsburg University into its PSAC lacrosse quarterfinal match-up at Bloomsburg on Tuesday at 4 p.m. as the Warriors look for their first postseason lacrosse win since 1986 and a school-record 12th victory of the season.

Molly O'Hara, Michelle Mangiaruga and Christine Bradley have been exceptional on the offensive end all season, combining for 116 goals and 45 assists. Their 161 points account for nearly 60 percent of ESU's scoring as part of a school record-setting 217 goal attack.

ESU (11-6, 6-4 PSAC East) is making its second PSAC playoff appearance in three seasons under fifth-year head coach Lynne Elphick, who has guided her teams to 11-win seasons in 2008 and 2010 – tied with the 2000 team for the school record. The winner of Tuesday's game will advance to the PSAC final four on Friday and Saturday at West Chester, which received a first-round bye as the top seed in the PSAC East.

Bloomsburg (12-5, 7-3) won the first two meetings this season by identical 13-5 scores, so the Warriors will turn to their three juniors for increased production.

All three players went over the 100-career point mark in the same game against Slippery Rock this spring and have continued to build on their first two years – 62 goals and 23 assists as part of a veteran team in 2008, followed by 114 goals and 38 assists last season.

O'Hara has 54 goals in 2010, fourth in school history, including a run of 25 goals in the last six games. She netted five goals and added an assist in a 12-9 win at Shippensburg on Saturday that gave the Warriors their playoff spot.

Mangiaruga has contributed 36 goals and 16 assists despite missing two games due to injury midway through the season. Mangiaruga was a first team All-PSAC East selection after scoring 47 goals last year and is two goals away from becoming the 14th 100-goal scorer in school history, a mark O'Hara (120 goals) passed two weeks ago.

Bradley is ESU's primary playmaker, with a team-high 21 assists to go with 26 goals. Her play as a two-way midfielder has been noted with two All-PSAC selections, as she enters the postseason among the Warriors' leaders in draw controls (36), ground balls (42) and caused turnovers (20).

The Warriors brought eight returning starters into the 2010 season as part of a roster that features just three seniors – attack Lindsey Moyer (14 goals, two assists), midfielder Sara Foley (nine goals, two assists) and attack Jocelyn Gebhardt (one goal, one assist).

Sophomore Maure Perrymond (11 goals, two assists) and freshman Ali Green (10 goals, six assists) have also been key components of the attack. Green has started all 17 games in her first year at ESU and Perrymond has eight goals and two assists while starting eight of the last nine games.

In the midfield, junior Jamie Wesztergom is a three-year starter and has 25 goals and four assists this season while ranking first or second on the team in caused turnovers (1st, 25), draw controls (t-1st, 38) and ground balls (2nd, 49).

Sophomore Laura Riegel has made a seamless transition to the midfield from defender, where she was a WomensLacrosse.com All-Rookie team selection last year. Riegel paces ESU with 53 ground balls and has 15 goals and five assists at the offensive end.

Defensively, junior Brittany Bissell is a three-year starter and anchors a group that features first-year starters at every other position. Freshmen Jennifer Kelly, Lauren Hummell and Kimberly Daly have stepped into starting roles, with Daly replacing Hummell in the lineup in the last two weeks due to injury. Junior Xeni Barakos has also contributed at defender.

In goal, sophomore Amanda Simms has started 16 of ESU's 17 games and is coming off a career-high 15 save effort at Shippensburg on Saturday. Simms has played all 60 minutes in each of the last six games after sharing time with freshman Katie Zollo to start the year, with both goalkeepers seeing their first career action.

This year's playoff appearance marks ESU's first postseason encounter with Bloomsburg since 2000, when the Huskies won the PSAC championship with an 11-10 overtime victory.

ESU is 2-5 all-time in five previous trips to the PSAC playoffs, with wins in 1985 and 1986. Recent postseason history includes a pair of losses to perennial national contender West Chester in 2005 and 2008.


PSAC lacrosse tournament matchups/schedule

Tuesday, April 27 - Quarterfinals
(W3) Gannon at (W2) Mercyhurst, 4:00 p.m.
(E3) East Stroudsburg at (E2) Bloomsburg, 4:00 p.m.

Friday, April 30 - Semifinals (at West Chester)
Gannon/Mercyhurst vs. (E1) West Chester, 1:00 p.m.
East Stroudsburg/Bloomsburg vs. (W1) Lock Haven, 4:00 p.m.