Box Score

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Senior Bailey Quinn converted a penalty stroke with just over five minutes left in regulation, and junior Maddie Richie made a diving save off a penalty corner shortly afterwards to secure a 3-2 win for No. 2 East Stroudsburg University at No. 9 Merrimack in its season opener on Saturday.

The visiting Warriors (1-0) held a 2-0 lead at halftime on goals by junior Grace Martini and senior Makenna Marhefka before the host Warriors (1-1) scored the next two markers to tie the score midway through the second half. Quinn's penalty stroke, the 22nd goal of her ESU career, was scored at the 64:41 mark of the game.

ESU improved to 5-0 against Merrimack over the past six seasons, including a 1-0 victory in the 2015 DII national championship game. Both teams have been ranked in the top 10 nationally in all five meetings during that span.

The visitors were outshot 11-5 in the opening half, but still took a two-goal lead into the intermission. Martini put in a pass across the crease from junior Karly Conway to open up the scoring 28:20 into the contest. The goal was Martini's second as a Warrior, while Conway registered her first collegiate assist.

Three minutes later, ESU doubled its advantage, as senior Kelli Shapiro set up Marhefka for a one-time effort which was sent past Merrimack goalie Katharina Quinn.

Making her first collegiate start in goal, Richie made six saves in the opening 35 minutes for ESU. Merrimack, though, broke through to tie the score on a pair of goals by Mary McNeil at 46:33 and 59:20 in the second half.

ESU had 11 of the game's 18 shots after the break, and nine of those attempts were directed on goal. Quinn stopped the first eight for Merrimack in goal, but she was unable to stop her ESU counterpart after a late penalty stroke call. Bailey Quinn earned second team NFHCA All-America accolades as a junior after leading ESU with 13 goals in 2017.

Merrimack had one last chance to tie the score after receiving a penalty corner with three minutes left. A cross appeared to give McNeil a tap-in on the left side, but Richie dove to her right to make the save and maintain ESU's lead, and Merrimack did not get another shot off in regulation.

ESU concludes its season-opening weekend in Massachusetts with a 1 p.m. matchup at Stonehill on Sunday. The Skyhawks, ranked No. 6 in the NFHCA DII preseason poll, knocked off No. 5 West Chester 2-1 in their season opener last Saturday before dropping a 3-1 decision to Assumption on Tuesday.