Box Score  l  Video of ESU goals

KUTZTOWN - Senior back Sydney McCarthy scored the game-winner with 6:27 left in the second overtime, giving No. 2-ranked East Stroudsburg University a 2-1 (2OT) win at No. 8 Kutztown in PSAC field hockey on Wednesday night.

ESU (14-3, 7-2), listed No. 1 in this week's NCAA Division II Atlantic Region rankings that will set the NCAA Tournament field in just under two weeks, played its third overtime game in the last six contests before prevailing with the Warriors' third-latest overtime game-winner in the last 15 years.

McCarthy's ninth goal of the season, assisted by junior midfielder Paige Harrold off a penalty corner, came after Kutztown (10-7, 5-5) tied the game with five seconds left in regulation and had a penalty stroke go off the post at the conclusion of the first overtime period.

The win gives ESU's senior class of McCarthy, midfielders Hannah Caplan and Ashley Chioda, forward Melanie Shambaugh and goalkeeper Halle Frisco a 59-20 career record, establishing a new mark for wins by a four-year class and surpassing the 1994-97 group that went 58-24-1. ESU's stretch includes the 2015 PSAC and NCAA DII titles, both the first in program history.

Junior midfielder Kelli Shapiro, last week's PSAC Co-Athlete of the Week, scored the game's first goal for ESU with 10:32 left in the second half, breaking the ice after nearly 60 minutes of 0-0 action. Shapiro scored her sixth goal of the season, and fourth in the last three games, on a scramble after a penalty corner, assisted by Caplan.

The Warriors were seconds from posting a 1-0 shutout when Kutztown's Mackenzie Fuhrman scored on a penalty corner with five ticks left on the clock in regulation to force overtime, ending ESU's three-game shutout streak.

KU won a penalty corner at the end of the 15-minute period, and then was awarded a penalty stroke, but the shot deflected off the post to forge a second overtime.

ESU had advantages of 18-9 in shots and 10-4 in penalty corners, including 4-0 in shots and 3-0 in corners in the second OT, with McCarthy ending the game off a corner.

Frisco had five saves for ESU. Chardonnay Hope, who shared PSAC Co-Athlete of the Week honors with Shapiro, had seven saves for Kutztown, which was coming off a 3-0 win at No. 1 Shippensburg last Saturday.

The Warriors remain in contention for the PSAC's No. 2 seed after Shippensburg (13-3, 8-1) held off Millersville (13-4, 7-2), 2-1, earlier Wednesday.

ESU hosts Mansfield (8-9, 3-6) and Millersville takes on Slippery Rock (10-7, 5-4) on Saturday. ESU would secure the No. 2 seed with a win and a Millersville loss, with the Marauders holding the tiebreaker if necessary by virtue of their 1-0 (2OT) win at ESU on October 11.

If ESU is the No. 3 seed, the Warriors will host a PSAC Tournament first round game on Tuesday, October 31 at Whitenight Field.


NCAA Division II Atlantic Region rankings
1. ESU (13-3)
2. Shippensburg (12-2)
3. Millersville (13-3)
4. Lindenwood (Mo.) (9-2)
5. West Chester (9-6)

East Region
1. St. Anselm (15-1)
2. Stonehill (13-3)
3. LIU Post (12-3)
4. Pace (13-3)
5. Merrimack (10-5)