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Related: Roth (Offensive AOY) leads 5 Warriors on All-PSAC team

PSAC Final 4 at West Chester
Friday 1pm - ESU vs West Chester (Live Stats)
Friday 3:30pm - Millersville vs Shippensburg
Saturday 2:30pm - championship game


EAST STROUDSBURG - Senior midfielder Gabrielle Seibert and senior forward Jessica Lawville scored goals and East Stroudsburg University held off a late Mercyhurst challenge for a 2-1 win in the first round of the PSAC Field Hockey Tournament on Tuesday afternoon at Whitenight Field.
 
ESU (11-8), the tournament's No. 4 seed, advances to the PSAC semifinals for the 12th time in program history and the fourth time since 2001.

The Warriors will face No. 1 seed and PSAC Final Four host West Chester (16-2) in the semifinals on Friday at 1 p.m. as they look for their third spot in the PSAC championship game, joining trips in 2001 and 2010.
 
In the other semifinal, No. 2 Millersville (16-2) will face No. 3 Shippensburg (15-3), which notched a 1-0 win over Slippery Rock on Tuesday.
 
Seibert gave ESU a 1-0 lead with 5:23 left in the first half, and Lawville scored on an assist from sophomore midfielder Desiraye Mack with 18:19 remaining in regulation to put the Warriors ahead 2-0.
 
Blair Pembleton scored with 3:45 left for Mercyhurst (9-10), but ESU held off several advances by the Lakers in the final three minutes to post its third-ever win in the championship bracket of the PSAC Tournament.
 
ESU had its second 2-1 win over Mercyhurst this season, winning 2-1 (OT) in Erie on October 18 on two goals by junior forward Ally Roth.
 
ESU had a 20-13 advantage in shots and 18-10 margin in penalty corners - including commanding leads of 13-2 in shots and 8-1 in corners in the first half.
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Danielle Ard made seven saves for the Warriors. Jess Wess had 13 saves for Mercyhurst, with nine coming in the first half.

Lawville scored her 16th goal of the season and the 39th of her career, fifth in school history. She also moved to sixth with 93 career points.
 
Seibert scored her fourth goal of the year and reached 50 career points on 19 goals and 12 assists.
 
ESU is pursuing the first PSAC championship in program history. The win was ESU's third in the championship bracket, with the Warriors advancing from the semifinals to the finals with victories in 2001 and 2010.
 
In the semifinals, the Warriors will face West Chester in the PSAC Tournament for the second straight year. The Golden Rams won last year's first-round game, 6-1.

ESU will look for its first win over West Chester since 1960 in their second meeting this season after the Golden Rams won, 6-1, on October 3. WCU is 33-4-6 in the all-time series and 30-0-3 since ESU's most recent win.
 
In the other semifinal, defending PSAC champion Millersville meets defending NCAA Division II champion Shippensburg for the third time this season. Both schools posted one-goal wins on the other's home field during the regular season.
 
The PSAC championship game will be held Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
 
 
GAME NOTES
* ESU is ranked No. 8 in the final NFHCA DII poll of the regular season released Tuesday.
* Mercyhurst is tied for No. 9.
* ESU had its first win over a ranked opponent this season.
* West Chester (1), Millersville (2) and Shippensburg (3) comprise the top three spots in this week's NFHCA poll. ESU is the fourth-highest ranked team from the PSAC.