EAST STROUDSBURG - East Stroudsburg University is ranked No. 14 in the final NSCAA Division II poll of the 2014 season, its first spot in the final Top 25 in 16 years, it was announced Tuesday.

ESU (20-1-1), which won 20 straight games to earn the No. 2 spot in the final poll of the regular season, won the third PSAC championship in program history and was the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Region in the NCAA Tournament to cap a record-setting season.

The Warriors are ranked in the final Top 25 poll for the fourth time in program history. They were previously listed 15th in 1994, 11th in 1997 and 22nd in 1998.

ESU was ranked in the NSCAA poll for the final eight weeks of the regular season, including six straight weeks in the top 10 and four weeks in the top 5. There are 228 DII women's soccer programs.

Led by eighth-year head coach Rob Berkowitz, ESU won its first-ever PSAC regular season title and its third PSAC Tournament title, joining championship teams in 1994 and 1997. The Warriors also played in the NCAA Tournament for the third time (1997, 2008 and 2014).

ESU won 20 straight games - the second-longest winning streak in PSAC history - after a 1-0 loss to Kutztown in the season opener, culminating with a 1-0 win over Kutztown in the PSAC championship game. The Warriors also notched postseason wins over IUP in the PSAC quarterfinals (5-0) and California in the PSAC semifinals (3-2) at Eiler-Martin Stadium.

The Warriors hosted an NCAA DII women's soccer regional for the first time in program history but were knocked out on penalty kicks after a 0-0 tie vs. WV Wesleyan in a second-round game.

ESU had three All-Americans in sophomore midfielder Shea Neal (NSCAA 1st team), senior back Lexie Peveraro (NSCAA 3rd team) and sophomore back Laurel Neira (Daktronics 2nd team). The Warriors had just one All-American in program history (Terri Meierhofer, 1997) prior to the 2014 season.

ESU had a school record-tying six All-PSAC selections and Berkowitz was named PSAC Coach of the Year.

The Warriors set or tied 12 program records:
* .932 winning percentage (20-1-1)
* 20 wins
* 20-game winning streak (2nd-longest in PSAC history)
* 21-game unbeaten streak
* 15 consecutive PSAC wins
* 11 consecutive home wins
* 9 consecutive away wins
* 13 shutouts
* 11 goals against
* 5 consecutive shutouts (tied record)
* 5 consecutive PSAC shutouts
* 470:53 scoreless streak (longest since at least 2003)

ESU improved its won-lost record by 9 games, from 8-7-2 in 2013 to 20-1-1 in 2014 (12 wins + 6 losses, divided by 2).  The improvement was the best in DII this fall, and the best ever by a DII program that had a winning record the previous season.

Individually, freshman back Amanda Vojta set a school record and is tied for third in PSAC history with 16 assists. Freshman goalkeeper Jules Harris set program records for total shutouts (9) and solo shutouts (8).

ESU's six All-PSAC selections were: 1st team - sophomore midfielder Shea Neal, senior back Lexie Peveraro; 2nd team - senior forward Courtney Keller, sophomore back Laurel Neira, freshman goalkeeper Jules Harris; and 3rd team - freshman back Amanda Vojta.

All six players were named to at least one All-Region team. Selections on the NSCAA team were Neal (1st team), Peveraro (1st team), Neira (2nd team) and Keller (3rd team). Selections on the Daktronics team, as voted on by the region's sports information directors, were Neal (1st team), Peveraro (1st team), Neira (1st team), Harris (1st team) and Vojta (2nd team).
 
 
NSCAA Division II Final Ranking
1. Grand Valley State (22-2-2) - previously 11
2. Rollins (20-3-0) - 8
3. Saint Rose (21-1-3) - 6
4. Colorado Mines (16-2-6) - 7
5. Columbus State (19-0-1) - 4
6. Central Missouri (21-1-2) - 10
7. West Chester (17-3-2) - 18
8. Minnesota-Mankato (22-1-0) - 1
9. California State-Stanislaus (16-4-2) - NR
10. Wisconsin-Parkside (18-1-3) - 3
11. Lenoir-Rhyne (16-4-3) - 20
12. Mercy (17-3-1) - 17
13. Texas A&M-Commerce (16-5-1) - 23
14. East Stroudsburg (20-1-1) - 2
15. Saint Leo (14-6-0) - 24
16. Cal Poly Pomona (15-6-1) - NR
17. Western Washington (16-1-4) - 12
18. Barry (11-2-3) - 9
19. California State-Los Angeles (16-2-3) - 5
20. WV Wesleyan (13-5-3) - NR
21. North Georgia (17-4-2) - 14
22. LIU Post (15-3-1) - 15
23. Valdosta State (12-7-2) - RV
24. St. Edward's (15-5-0) - NR
25. Kutztown (15-5-1) - 16
 
Also receiving votes: Angelo State (6), Bellarmine (5), Metropolitan State (5), Central Oklahoma (4), Wingate (3), Winona State (2), Sonoma State (1)