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* ESU - West Chester PSAC Semifinal Recap
* Polanco named PSAC Champion Scholar

WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Fresh off its thrilling advancement on penalty kicks in the semifinal against top-seeded West Chester, East Stroudsburg University will face off against No. 2 Kutztown in the PSAC championship game at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

The contest will be played at West Chester, with the fourth-seeded Warriors (14-4-2) searching for a third-straight PSAC title and their fifth PSAC crown overall in program history. The Golden Bears (17-3) topped No. 6 Gannon 2-0 in the other semifinal for their ninth-consecutive victory.

Kutztown's last loss was a 1-0 setback against ESU in the regular season meeting between the teams on Oct. 5. Sophomore forward Alex Pickett scored the lone goal in the 21st minute, with assists from senior forward Brielyn Hackett and freshman midfielder Danielle Cary, while junior goalkeeper Jules Harris made two saves in goal to preserve the shutout. The Warriors had a 17-8 edge in shots.

Pickett and Harris both played key roles in the semifinal round against West Chester on Friday. Pickett scored ESU's only goal in regulation, heading in a free kick from senior back Hannah Gombos in the 56th minute as the teams played to a 1-1 draw.

Harris, who made five saves in regulation, added three more clutch stops in the shootout, and sophomore midfielder Holly Nicolardi, sophomore back Danielle Curran and sophomore back Kyra Dubost converted from the spot as the Warriors advanced 3-2 on PKs.

Pickett (14 G, 4 A) and Gombos (3 G, 10 A) lead ESU with 32 and 16 points, respectively, on the season. Harris has 10 shutouts (eight solo), a .879 save percentage and a 0.55 goals-against average.

Hackett (2 G, 5 A), senior midfielder Shea Neal (2 G, 5 A) and junior midfielder Sammi Ortiz (4 G, 1 A) have each added nine points for the Warriors this fall.

Sunday's matchup will be the second time that ESU and Kutztown have faced off in the PSAC final. A 78th minute goal by Neal lifted the Warriors to a 1-0 victory in the 2014 championship game.

ESU leads the all-time series 18-15-1. The Warriors have gone 4-2 against the Golden Bears over the past five seasons, with five of those six contests finishing with a 1-0 score.

Kutztown is currently ranked No. 13 in the NSCAA Division II poll. The Golden Bears' nine-straight wins match a program record, and they have surrendered only one goal over the past 608 minutes of game action.

Maddie Mohr and Alaina Curry scored Kutztown's two goals in Friday's win over Gannon, and they are the team's leading point scorers for the season. Mohr (10 G, 7 A) has 27 points on the year, while Curry (7 G, 3 A) has totaled 17 points.

Cara Griffith also has seven goals, five of which have been game winners. Imani Taylor (9 GS) and Jenna Bracken (11 GS) have split time in goal, with the duo combining for 11 shutouts and a 0.60 GAA. Bracken has started the past three contests.

The winner of Sunday's contest will receive the PSAC's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. The full NCAA field will be revealed on Monday at 6 p.m. on ncaa.com.