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UPDATE: Game time moved up 1/2 hour to 4:30 p.m.

Atlantic Region championship game at West Chester (Saturday, 4:30 p.m.)
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WEST CHESTER – Junior midfielder Emma Rufolo scored the game-winning goal with 32 seconds left and won the ensuing draw control as East Stroudsburg University rallied from a five-goal first-half deficit for a 12-11 win over Mercyhurst in the first round of the NCAA Division II Women's Lacrosse Atlantic Regional on Friday afternoon at West Chester.

ESU (14-3), the No. 2 seed, advances to play top-seeded West Chester (19-0) in the regional championship game on Saturday at 5 p.m., with the winner advancing to the Final 4 in Tampa, Fla. next weekend. (UPDATE: 4:30 p.m.)

Mercyhurst (13-7), which upended ESU 15-12 in last week's PSAC semifinal at West Chester, led 6-1 with 7:39 left in the first half and 10-7 with 13:24 remaining – before the Warriors scored five of the final six goals to stun the Lakers.

The win is the first NCAA Tournament victory in program history for ESU, which made its first NCAA appearance last spring and fell 17-10 to Florida Tech.

Rufolo (3 goals, assist), the 2017 PSAC Athlete of the Year, also added three caused turnovers and six ground balls for the Warriors.

Freshman attack Krista Mitarotonda (2 goals, assist), first team All-PSAC, and freshman attack Bailey McMaster (2 goals) also helped lead the scoring for ESU, supplemented by a goal and two assists by sophomore midfielder Hana Cicerelle.

Sophomore goalkeeper Tatyana Petteway made 11 saves for the Warriors, who were dominated 16-9 in the draw control department but were able to win the turnover margin (22-19) and ground balls (28-21).

ESU overcame at least a three-goal deficit for the fifth time in its 14 victories this season, doing it four times in a six-game stretch between March 23 and April 7.

Kristin Anderson (3 goals, 2 assists) and Taylor Izzo (2 goals, 3 assists), both first team All-PSAC, led Mercyhurst with Angelina Simon adding three goals and an assist.  Izzo finished with 100 points this season on 35 goals and 65 assists.

Raelyn Tiberio had nine saves in goal for the Lakers.

After Mitarotonda scored the game's opening goal, the next 20 minutes were all Lakers, scoring six straight to take a 6-1 lead with less than eight minutes left in the first half.

ESU scored three of four to close the half - Rufolo (from Cicerelle), senior midfielder Chessie Rahmer (from junior attack TJ Jefferis) and McMaster with 35 seconds left - to pull within 7-4 at intermission.

Mercyhurst scored the first goal of the second half, followed by two more by the Warriors, with Rufolo scoring from Mitarotonda and McMaster netting an unassisted goal, to close the margin to 8-6 at the 24:37 mark.

It was 9-6 for more than six minutes until junior attack Brooke Fritz scored on an assist from Cicerelle for a 9-7 game with 17:20 remaining.

Anderson's second goal of the game reestablished the Lakers' three-goal lead with 13:24 to play, before ESU's closing push.

Freshman midfielder Brielle Curtis scored her third goal of the season, followed by Jefferis (from Rufolo) just 48 seconds later, to get it to 10-9 with 11:20 left.

Cicerelle converted a free position to tie it at 10-all at the 9:14 mark, and Mitarotonda scored the go-ahead goal - her second of the game - with 5:34 left to complete a crucial 4-0 push.

Anderson tied it for Mercyhurst 31 seconds later, but ESU dominated possession in the closing minutes and Rufolo scored the game-winning goal on a driving move towards the cage with 32 seconds left.

After a brief scramble, Rufolo came away with the ensuing draw control - a column where the Warriors struggled all day - and ESU maintained control to seal the victory.

Mercyhurst was also looking for its first NCAA Tournament win in its third appearance, falling to 0-3 in NCAA trips in 2009, 2016 and 2018.

ESU improves to 4-1 vs. Mercyhust in the last two seasons, winning regular season and PSAC championship game victories in 2017, and going 2-1 this year - winning 19-14 in the regular season, falling 15-12 in last week's PSAC semifinal and triumphing in the NCAA Tournament.

West Chester, making its 12th NCAA appearance since 2001 and the winner of national titles in 2002 and 2008, won the first meeting with ESU, 14-7, on March 28.

WCU holds a 68-3 advantage in the all-time series, with ESU's wins in 2000, 2003 and last season - 17-12 - at Vonnie Gros Field.

The Golden Rams have won all four postseason meetings in the PSAC Tournament - 1985, 1986, 2005 and 2008.


GAME NOTES
* ESU improves to 43-11 in three seasons under head coach Xeni Barakos-Yoder, including the first-ever PSAC tournament championship and regular season championship (both 2017), first NCAA Tournament (2017) and first NCAA Tournament win (2018) in program history.

* Rahmer moved into 4th at ESU in career goals (141)
* She reached the 50-point mark for the 2nd straight year (44 goals, 6 assists after 50 goals, 10 assists to earn All-America honors in 2017)

* Rufolo pushed her season totals to 33 goals and 9 assists with her 4th 3-goal game of the season.
* She has 93 career points (67 goals, 26 assists) in 2 seasons (37 starts) at ESU.

* Mitarotonda extended her season totals to 59 goals and 9 assists for 68 points, both ESU freshman records.
* She scored 2 goals, giving her 2+ goals in 15 straight games.

* Cicerelle reached the 60-point mark (41 goals, 19 assists).
* She has 99 career points (67 goals, 32 assists) in 36 games, including 22 starts.

* Petteway entered the weekend 5th in DII in save percentage (.526).