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EAST STROUDSBURG – No. 8 LIU Post scored the first three goals of the second half to overcome No. 10 East Stroudsburg University's one-goal halftime lead, and edged the Warriors, 5-4, in the PSAC East field hockey opener for both schools on Tuesday afternoon at Whitenight Field.

Keliann Margiotta scored two goals and Carly Dragon, last year's PSAC East Player of the Year as a sophomore, had a goal and an assist for LIU Post (3-0, 1-0).

Senior forward Lauren Ventrella scored two goals and junior forward Gabrielle Seibert added another for ESU (2-2, 0-1), which has scored 20 goals in its first four games for the first time since 1962.

Freshman forward Ally Roth, the reigning PSAC East Player of the Week after scoring four goals in a 7-6 (OT) win at Stonehill on Sunday, had a team-high eight shots for the Warriors, who held a 22-11 advantage in that category.

Becca May came up with 13 saves for LIU Post, including 10 in the second half. Freshman Alexis Charles made her first career start for ESU and had four saves.

Ventrella opened the scoring 3:41 into the game and closed it with 59 seconds remaining to get the Warriors back within 5-4.

Post answered the early 1-0 lead with goals by Heidi Schaffner in the ninth minute and Margiotta in the 27th minute to take its first lead of the game.

ESU scored twice in the last 3:35 of the first half to take a 3-2 advantage into intermission. A blast by senior midfielder Mallory Pope from just outside the circle deflected off a diving May and into the cage for an “own goal” to tie it at 2-2. Seibert scored her second goal of the year with 1:09 left in the half to put the Warriors back in front.

Lyn-Marie Wilson tied the score, 3-3, with an unassisted goal with 18:32 remaining and Margiotta had her second goal less than a minute later to reclaim the lead for LIU Post. Dragon scored, assisted by Claire Steijn, to make it 5-3 with less than seven minutes to play.

Ventrella closed the margin to 5-4 as the clock went under 1:00, taking a long pass from Pope and finishing for her second goal of the game and fourth of the season.

ESU is away from PSAC action this weekend, hosting No. 9 Mansfield on Friday at 3 p.m. and No. 1 Shippensburg on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Game notes
* In this week's NFHCA Division II poll, nine of the PSAC's 12 teams are ranked in the top 11 in the nation - #1 Shippensburg, #2 Bloomsburg, #3 West Chester, #5 IUP, #6 Millersville, #8 LIU Post, #9 Mansfield, #t-10 ESU and #t-10 Kutztown. The most recent poll was released Tuesday afternoon.