Box Score

LAKEWOOD, N.J. – Molly O'Hara opened her senior year with her 26th career hat trick to lead East Stroudsburg University to a 10-7 win at Georgian Court in its women's lacrosse season opener on Wednesday afternoon.

O'Hara, last year's PSAC East Player of the Year, had two first half goals, assisted on another and sealed the victory with her third goal with 11 seconds left as the Warriors overcame a 7-5 deficit with five unanswered goals to close the game.

She scored 56 goals, tied for second in school history, and had 11 hat tricks in 18 games last season and picked up where she left off as the leader of an attack that scored a school-record 232 goals a year ago. O'Hara also moved into a tie for seventh in school history with her 125th career goal.

Senior Jamie Wesztergom scored two goals, including the go-ahead tally with 14 minutes left, and five other Warriors scored a goal apiece. Senior Michelle Mangiaruga, a two-time first team All-PSAC East selection, and O'Hara scored in the final two minutes of the first half to bring ESU level at 5-5 going into intermission.

Georgian Court scored the first two goals of the second half and held the Warriors scoreless until the 17-minute mark, when freshman Nicole Miller scored her first career goal and sophomore Ali Green tied it up three minutes later. Wesztergom put ESU in front for good with her second goal of the game and sophomore Sarah Ginn added an insurance score with two minutes left before O'Hara completed her hat trick.

Ginn, a newcomer to the team, had one goal and two assists and Miller and freshman Danielle Marceca both had a goal and an assist in their collegiate debuts.

Lauren Conaty scored all three of her goals in the first half for Georgian Court, but was held off the board in the second half by an ESU defense that surrendered just seven shots after halftime.

Sophomore Katie Zollo made her second career start and had eight saves. Jennifer Molzon had 15 saves for the homestanding Lions, who were 17-2 last season in winning the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference championship.

ESU was 11-7 last season, tying the school record for wins, and made its second PSAC playoff appearance in three years.

Wednesday's game marked the coaching debuts for ESU head coach Jane Koeniges and Georgian Court's Jackie McGarrigle. Both schools' head coaches resigned in July – Lynne Elphick from ESU and Michael Migliorisi from Georgian Court – after successful tenures. Elphick led the Warriors to a pair of 11-win seasons in her five-year tenure, and Migliorisi was 54-17 in the first four years of the Georgian Court lacrosse program.

ESU returns to action on Friday at LeMoyne, ranked No. 4 in the “US Lacrosse Magazine” preseason poll. A live webcast will be available online at www.lemoynedolphins.tv.