PSAC Tournament information: PSAC women's soccer page

Tuesday (1 p.m.): Live Stats

EAST STROUDSBURG - Defending PSAC women's soccer champion East Stroudsburg University returns to the conference tournament with a quarterfinal game at West Chester on Tuesday at 1 p.m.

ESU (9-6-1, 9-6-1), the No. 7 seed, earned its conference tournament bid with a 4-2 win over previously unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Gannon on Friday at Eiler-Martin Stadium. The Warriors scored four goals in less than 19 minutes midway through the second half.

West Chester (14-3, 13-3), the No. 2 seed, won the first meeting between the two schools this season, a 1-0 victory at ESU on October 13.

The Warriors are in the PSAC Tournament for the sixth time in nine seasons under head coach Rob Berkowitz, the 2014 PSAC Coach of the Year. ESU won its third PSAC championship in program history last fall as part of a record-setting 20-1-1 season, which included a school record 20-game winning streak.

This fall, ESU opened with a 6-2 record and hit a tough October stretch which included games against 2014 PSAC Tournament teams in seven of their final nine contests.

The Warriors entered the final week of the regular season tied for sixth in the conference and needed Friday's win vs. Gannon - their first-ever game vs. a No. 1-ranked team - to secure their PSAC Tournament spot.

In the other three quarterfinals, No.1 seed Gannon (17-1, 15-1) hosts No. 8 Bloomsburg (11-6-1, 9-6-1), No. 3 Slippery Rock (12-5-1, 11-4-1) hosts No. 6 Shippensburg (11-6-1, 9-6-1) and No. 4 Edinboro (12-6, 11-5) hosts No. 5 Kutztown (11-5-1, 11-5).

The highest remaining seed after Tuesday's quarterfinals will host the PSAC semifinals (Friday, Nov. 6) and championship game (Sunday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m.).

The ESU-West Chester winner will face the Slippery Rock-Shippensburg winner in one semifinal.

ESU has a 2-4-1 record against this year's PSAC Tournament teams but has rallied for wins over Bloomsburg (2-1) and Gannon (4-2) after conceding the game's first goal in the last 10 days.

ESU's three PSAC championships (1994, 1997, 2014) are tied for second-most in conference history. The Warriors have reached at least the semifinals in four of the last eight years (2007-08, 2012, 2014).

West Chester has won four PSAC titles (2006-07, 09-10) and is in the tournament for the 13th straight year. The Golden Rams are the defending regional champion.

Gannon is in for the seventh time in eight years and are looking for their second semifinal appearance, advancing in 2013.

Bloomsburg qualified for the first time since 2011 and has won three PSAC championships (1996, 1998, 2002).

Slippery Rock, a perennial contender, is in the field for the 12th time in 13 years and won PSAC titles in 2003, 2005 and 2012.

Shippensburg has qualified for the second time in three years, reaching the semifinals in 2013, and the fifth time in program history.

Edinboro is in the PSAC Tournament for the sixth straight season and made the semifinals in 2011 and 2012.

Kutztown has qualified for the 12th time in 13 years, the same as Slippery Rock. The Golden Bears have been runner-up five times, including 2014.

Last fall, ESU opened the tournament with a 5-0 win vs. IUP in the quarterfinals, rallied for a 3-2 win vs. California in the semifinals with two goals in the final 10 minutes, and beat Kutztown 1-0 on a goal by midfielder Shea Neal in the 78th minute.

Neal and back Laurel Neira, both juniors, were named to All-America teams as sophomores last season. Neal was named to the NSCAA All-America first team, becoming the initial first team All-America selection in program history. Neira was named to the Daktronics All-America second team.

Seven Warriors were starters on last year's PSAC championship team in Neal, Neira, senior forward Sammi Jo Hughes, senior midfielder Syrandin Deere Vester, junior back Hannah Gombos, sophomore midfielder Sammi Ortiz and sophomore goalkeeper Jules Harris.

Neal leads the Warriors with seven goals and three assists, giving her 20 goals and nine assists in 55 career starts. She is a two-time first team All-PSAC and two-time All-Region selection in the midfield.

Hughes is a four-year starter (72 starts) with 21 career goals and 11 assists, including six goals and two assists this fall.

Hughes and Neal are the first ESU teammates with 20+ career goals since Karen Hansen (36) and Jenn Russo (35) in 1996.

Junior forward Brielyn Hackett has made 12 starts and contributed four goals after scoring a team-high eight goals as the Warriors' top sub on last year's championship team.

Freshman forward Alex Pickett has moved into the starting lineup in the second half of the season and has one goal and one assist.

Neal is joined in the midfield by Deere Vester and Ortiz, the same partnership as the 2014 PSAC championship group.

Deere Vester is a three-year starter and is expected to make her 50th career start on Tuesday. She has five career goals, including two this season.

Ortiz has started all 38 games in her career and has two goals and three assists. She was named to the Academic All-District team last Thursday.

Across the back, Neira teams with junior Andrea Polanco at center back, with Gombos on the right side and freshman Kyra Dubost on the left.

Neira has made 53 career starts and has added eight career goals, including six last season. Polanco is in her first year as a starter after seeing most of her action as a backup defensive midfielder as a sophomore.

Gombos has made 48 career starts, playing mostly at forward the last two years. She started nine games at right back last season and has made 14 starts there this year. She has five career goals and seven assists, and scored her only goal this season in Friday's win vs. Gannon.

Dubost started the last 15 games at left back and has two assists.

Harris is in her second season as ESU's starting goalkeeper (31 career starts) and was named second team All-PSAC as a freshman. She has started 14 of ESU's 16 games this year with a 1.28 goals against average, an 8-5-1 record and four shutouts (three solo).

Harris had nine shutouts (eight solo) on last year's PSAC championship team, going 16-1 with a 0.54 goals against average. She has a career record of 24-6-1 with 13 shutouts (11 solo), 125 saves and a 0.88 gaa in 31 starts.

Other key contributors this season have included freshman forward Cristina Babyak (15 games, 4 starts - 1 assist), sophomore forward Molly Vicari (13 games - 1 goal, 1 assist), sophomore forward Kendall Galvin (10 games, 4 starts - 2 goals) and junior back Kelly Howiszak (9 games, 2 starts).