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NCAA DII Atlantic Region final vs. West Chester
Friday, November 17 (11 a.m.) at Mercy College

NCAA DII Elite 8 (if advance)
Sunday, November 19 (1 p.m.) at Mercy College
vs. Mercy or LIU Post


EAST STROUDSBURG - Sophomore back Jessica Woodbyrne and senior midfielder Sammi Ortiz converted must-have penalty kicks, senior goalkeeper Jules Harris made a save to keep the Warriors alive and sophomore forward Jules Sicker won it as East Stroudsburg University knocked off WV Wesleyan on penalty kicks, 4-3, on Sunday afternoon at Eiler-Martin Stadium to advance to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional final.

ESU (15-3-4), the No. 2 seed, and WV Wesleyan (18-2-2), the No. 3 seed, played to a 0-0 tie through 110 minutes, with ESU holding a 14-3 advantage in shots.

The Warriors rallied from a 3-1 deficit in PK's and advance to their second regional final in three years after winning their first-ever regional title in 2015.

ESU will play West Chester (16-3-2), the Atlantic Region's top seed, on Friday at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.

West Chester also advanced on penalty kicks on Sunday after a scoreless tie vs. Notre Dame (Ohio), surviving 5-4 in PK's after falling behind 2-0.

Mercy, the East Region No. 2 seed, plays No. 4 seed LIU Post in the East Region final. Mercy won 3-1 vs. Southern New Hampshire, while LIU Post upended No. 1 seed Adelphi, 3-2.

Harris, two-time first team All-PSAC, had her 41st career shutout and 35th solo shutout, tying the PSAC career record. She made two saves, one in each half, and was rarely tested until needing to save the potential game-deciding penalty kick.

The PK's were 1-1 through two rounds, with WV Wesleyan's Natalie Prater converting, ESU junior back Danielle Curran saved by Chelsea Hubner, WVWC's Shannon Shawgo shooting wide right and ESU sophomore back Hannah Saggese converting to the right.

WVWC's Carolyn Saulle went top left and ESU junior forward Alex Pickett was saved by Hubner to give the Bobcats a 2-1 edge through three rounds.

Alex O'Brien went down the middle to put WVWC up 3-1 in the top of the fourth, before ESU sophomore back Jessica Woodbyrne rolled into the left corner to get the Warriors within 3-2 in the first of three straight "must-haves" for ESU.

Harris made the big save in the top of the fifth round, going to her left to keep out WVWC's Marissa Zetty, and Ortiz converted bottom left to level it at 3-3 and force a sixth round.

Wesleyan's Isabella Salas shot high left, and Sicker went to the right side as the Warriors advanced.

ESU met WV Wesleyan in the second round for the third time in the last four years and moved on for the second time. In 2014, ESU (20-1-1) was eliminated on penalty kicks after a 0-0 tie, and in 2015, the Warriors won 3-0 on the road on their way to the regional title.

Harris improves to 3-0 in penalty kicks in her ESU career, advancing in the 2015 PSAC quarterfinals and 2016 PSAC semifinals, both at West Chester.

Harris made her 83rd career start, and Ortiz made her 90th start - every game of her ESU career. Both were named first team All-PSAC for the second straight season. Harris extended her ESU single-season records for shutouts (13) and solo shutouts (11).

Chelsea Hubner, who saved a penalty kick in the second half of WV Wesleyan's 2-0 win vs. Gannon on Friday, had three saves while playing the final 65 minutes after Ashlee Schumacher played the first half. Hubner saved two of ESU's first three PK's before the Warriors converted three straight.

The Warriors had their best opportunity early in the second overtime, when sophomore midfielder Nicole Abbott's header from six yards was saved by Hubner, low and to her left.

ESU had a 5-1 margin in shots in the first half, 7-2 in the second half and 2-0 in overtime. The Warriors had eight of the game's nine corner kicks.

ESU, which won its record-setting fourth straight PSAC championship last Saturday with a 1-0 victory at West Chester, has advanced in 21 of its 29 postseason games (17-6-6, advancing 4 times on PK's) under 11th-year head coach Rob Berkowitz - including 17 of the last 20 (14-2-4 - 3 on PK's).

GAME NOTES

* ESU is making its 6th NCAA DII Tournament appearance and 4th straight.
* WV Wesleyan made its 10th NCAA Tournament, including 8th in the last 11 years.
* WV Wesleyan finishes the season with a 36-7 goal differential (17 shutouts in 22 games).

* ESU and West Chester are the only Atlantic Region schools to make the NCAA DII Tournament in each of the last 4 years, and are two of 10 programs nationally.
* ESU has won 1 Atlantic Region title (2015)
* West Chester has won 6 since 2005 (2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014)