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ESU vs. Florida Tech (Friday, 3 p.m.)
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EAST STROUDSBURG - East Stroudsburg University will open its first NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in women's lacrosse program history with a first-round match-up against Florida Tech on Friday at 3 p.m. at Florida Southern College in Lakewood, Fla.

ESU (17-2), which won its first-ever PSAC championship with a 10-9 win over Mercyhurst on Sunday, has won 12 straight games entering its inaugural NCAA Tournament.

The Warriors are the No. 3 seed in the South Region and take on No. 6 seed Florida Tech (13-3), which was also selected for the NCAA Tournament for the first time.

ESU and Florida Tech are two of five first-time qualifiers in the field of 12 schools.

The winner takes on No. 2 seed Florida Southern (19-2), the defending national champion, on Saturday at 3 p.m.

In the other half of the South bracket, No. 1 Lindenwood (20-1) awaits the winner of No. 4 Regis (17-2) and No. 5 Queens (16-3).

Adelphi (1-1), seven-time national champion, is the No. 1 seed in the North and will play the winner of No. 4 New Haven (14-4) and No. 5 Mercy (16-3). No. 2 seed Le Moyne (18-1) will play either No. 3 LIU Post (15-2) or No. 6 NYIT (15-3). ESU fell to LIU Post, 12-11, for one of its two losses this season on March 24.

ESU, under second-year head coach Xeni Barakos, has far surpassed its school record for wins (12, last year) as it continues its deepest postseason run in program history.

Prior to last weekend, the Warriors had been PSAC runner-up three times (1985, 1986 and 2000) but hadn't lifted the PSAC trophy.

ESU also won its first-ever PSAC regular season title this spring, and its 12-game winning streak doubles the school's previous best stretch of six wins. Seven of the 12 victories are against nationally-ranked teams.

Barakos, two-time PSAC Coach of the Year and an All-PSAC defender as a senior on ESU's 2011 PSAC semifinal team, guides a squad that had eight players named All-PSAC - all for the first time.

Sophomore midfielder Emma Rufolo was named PSAC Athlete of the Year, freshman goalkeeper Tatyana Petteway the PSAC Freshman of the Year and the first team all-conference netminder, and junior midfielder Chessie Rahmer also earned a spot on the first team.

Senior midfielder Emily Fitzsimmons, the PSAC Tournament MVP with three goals vs. Mercyhurst, is one of five Warriors on the third team, along with senior attack Lauren Green, sophomore attack TJ Jefferis and senior defenders Bethany Cunningham and Kerry Mulcahy.

ESU has a balanced attack which has scored a school-record 253 goals this season, including at least 10 in all 19 games. Seven players have contributed at least 20 goals and 30 points.

At the back, Petteway leads DII in save percentage (.547) as a freshman and has at least a .500 save percentage in 11 of her 16 starts.

Rufolo, Rahmer, Fitzsimmons, junior Alicia Stratten and freshman Hana Cicerelle drive the Warriors from the midfield.

Rufolo has 33 goals, 15 assists and team-highs in caused turnovers (41), ground balls (60) and draw controls (60) to earn PSAC Athlete of the Year honors in her first season at ESU after transferring from Division I Gardner-Webb.

Rahmer is ESU's top scorer with 48 goals and 10 assists, and second on the team to Rufolo in caused turnovers (35), ground balls (55) and draw controls (52). She also leads the Warriors with 22 goals in their eight games against nationally-ranked teams.

Fitzsimmons has posted 32 goals, 10 assists and is fourth on the team with 33 draw controls. Stratten (15 goals, 12 assists, 40 draw controls) and Cicerelle (25 goals, 13 assists) add playmaking and speed, and both have 19 caused turnovers.

Green leads the Warriors with 59 points (25 goals, 34 assists) and helps the Warriors set up their offense below the cage. Her 34 assists are third-most in school history, and she ranks in the top 10 in career assists (48).

Green (94 career goals) and Rahmer (95) are also closing in on the 100-goal individual milestone.

Jefferis is second on the team in both goals (34) and assists (16) for an even 50 points. She has already contributed 60 goals and 24 assists in her first two seasons at ESU.

Sophomore Brooke Fritz (22 goals, 12 assists) and freshman Cassidy McKenna (12 goals, 3 assists) also add scoring depth to the attack.

Defensively, Cunningham leads active Warriors with 65 career starts and has 25 caused turnovers and 31 ground balls this season. Mulcahy (53 starts) has 14 caused turnovers and 34 ground balls.

That senior duo, along with sophomore Natalie Jacobs (12 caused turnovers, 18 ground balls) and freshman Madison Mulligan (7 caused turnovers, 21 ground balls), has started all 19 games as a defensive unit this season.

The Warriors will face a Florida Tech team that ranks fourth of 100 DII schools in scoring offense (16.9 goals per game), led by junior attack Sara Grenier, a three-time Sunshine State Conference first team selection who has 54 goals and nine assists this season.

Florida Tech (nine) and Florida Southern (eight) combined for 17 of the 29 All-SSC selections this spring. Both had six of the 15 first team honorees.

Florida Tech fell 15-12 to Lindenwood in its season opener, and its other two losses are against Florida Tech - 12-11 (OT) on April 1, and 20-12 in the SSC championship game on April 30.

The Panthers own a 16-12 win over IUP - which ESU beat 16-8 in the final game of the regular season and 11-9 in the PSAC semifinals - on March 11.

Other key wins for Florida Tech are a 15-13 victory vs. Regis on April 7, and two against Rollins - 14-10 on the road on April 20, and 19-14 in the SSC semifinals on April 28.

Six first team All-SSC selections include Grenier (54g, 9a), senior midfielder Allie Modica (52g, 20a), junior attack Caroline Dunleavy (38g, 17) and junior goalkeeper Stephanie Stuart, who has a .397 save percentage in 15 starts.

All four midfielders and two defenders were named All-SSC from a group that ranks fifth in DII in caused turnovers per game (12.1).

If the Warriors advance past a formidable Florida Tech squad, they will face the defending national champions on their home field. FSC is third in DII in scoring (16.9 goals per game) and first in draw controls (16.9 per game).

Florida Southern has won 16 straight games entering the NCAA Tournament after dropping two of its first five, 12-5 vs. Adelphi in a rematch of last year's 8-7 win in the national title game and 14-11 at Lindenwood.

The rest of the schedule includes two wins over Florida Tech, and three against PSAC schools - 21-10 vs. Bloomsburg, 15-4 vs. IUP and 21-10 vs. Seton Hill.

The Mocs also have an 18-5 win vs. then-No. 5 Rollins on April 11, and a 15-12 win at then-No. 7 Limestone on April 22.

Junior midfielder Emily Santoli (39g, 18a) is the SSC Player of the Year. Junior attack Meghan O'Brien (53g, 28a) and senior attack Kendall Kerge (59g, 12a) are the top goal scorers, and sophomore midfielder Dani Bursinger (25g, 20a) is fifth in DII in draw controls per game (6.5), with 137 in 21 games.

Senior goalkeeper Taylor Gillis, who has a .423 save percentage in 13 starts, was last year's NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player with eight saves vs. Adelphi in the championship game.

All five Mocs named to the All-Tournament team return in Gillis, Kerge, O'Brien, Santoli and junior defender Sarah Rheinsmith.

In the current IWLCA DII coaches poll, ESU is listed No. 11, Florida Tech is No. 6 and Florida Southern is No. 4.

ESU, despite holding the No. 3 seed in the South Region, is the lowest ranked of the region's six NCAA Tournament qualifiers - Lindenwood is No. 2 nationally, Regis is No. 8 and Queens is No. 9.

ESU is the sixth PSAC school to qualify for the DII Tournament since it was first held in 2001, joining West Chester (11 appearances), Lock haven (8), Mercyhurst (2), Gannon (1) and Bloomsburg (1). Gannon's trip was in 2001, before joining the PSAC in 2009.