Box Score
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Katie Thompson scored the lone goal of the contest 12:34 into the opening half, leading No. 2 West Chester to a 1-0 home victory over No. 1 East Stroudsburg University on Wednesday afternoon.
The Golden Rams (14-2, 8-1) moved back ahead of the Warriors (12-3, 7-1) for first place in the PSAC standings. Junior
Maddie Richie made a career-high 10 saves in goal to keep the game close throughout for the visitors, who saw an eight-game winning streak come to an end.
Thompson's goal was an unassisted blast from the top right corner of the circle. She has 16 goals overall on the year, a total which ranks second among PSAC players.
West Chester held a 15-6 advantage in shots. The Warriors generated three shots off a pair of corners in the final six minutes, but two were prevented from reaching the cage and an effort by senior
Paige Harrold was stopped by goalkeeper Marissa Elizardo.
Richie's previous top save total was seven, which she reached in games against Merrimack (Sept. 8) and West Chester (Sept. 27) earlier this season. ESU falls to 4-2 lifetime in matchups between the top two teams in the DII national rankings.
The NCAA released its initial Atlantic and East Region rankings earlier in the afternoon, with West Chester listed No. 1, ESU No. 2 and Shippensburg No. 3 in the Atlantic. The top three teams in both the Atlantic and East regions will be selected for the Division II national tournament.
The six teams will then be seeded, No. 1 through No. 6, with the top two teams receiving byes into the national semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 29 in Pittsburgh. Opening round contests will be played at campus sites on Sunday, Nov. 25, with the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds hosting. The Warriors have qualified for three-straight DII tournaments, earning the program's first ever national title back in 2015.
Full rankings are listed below. ESU will be back in action at 1 p.m. on Saturday, hosting Seton Hill for Senior Day at Whitenight Field.
NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Rankings (Records through Oct. 30)
| Rank |
School |
In-Region Record |
Overall Record |
| 1 |
West Chester |
13-2 |
13-2 |
| 2 |
ESU |
12-2 |
12-2 |
| 3 |
Shippensburg |
11-3 |
11-3 |
| 4 |
Limestone |
9-1 |
10-3 |
| 5 |
Kutztown |
12-4 |
12-4 |
NCAA Division II East Region Rankings
| Rank |
School |
In-Region Record |
Overall Record |
| 1 |
Pace |
13-1 |
14-1 |
| 2 |
Merrimack |
12-1 |
13-1 |
| 3 |
LIU Post |
10-4 |
10-4 |
| 4 |
Stonehill |
10-4 |
10-4 |
| 5 |
Saint Anselm |
9-3 |
9-5 |
Note:
The two teams gathered as one following the contest to pay tribute to Meghan Keeney, a Warwick High School field hockey who tragically passed away in a car accident late last week. The teams each wrote Meghan's number 33 on their arms and jerseys and posed for a picture (below) with 33 displayed on a card in the center.
