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EAST STROUDSBURG – The second-ranked East Stroudsburg University women's field hockey team will host an NCAA Division II First Round matchup on Saturday at Whitenight Field beginning at 1 p.m.
 
ESU (18-2) will face seventh-ranked Assumption College (16-4) with a chance to advance to the semifinals, which will be held on Nov. 22 in Millersville, Pa. at Biemesderfer Stadium. The winner will face Saint Anselm and have the opportunity to advance to the NCAA DII Field Hockey Championship on Nov. 24 at Biemesderfer Stadium.
 
The Warriors captured their first PSAC Field Hockey Championship since 2015 on Sunday as the ESU recorded a 1-0 victory against No. 5 Kutztown on the campus of West Chester University. The Warriors defeated No. 8 Millersville 3-0 in the semifinals to advance to the championship matchup against the Golden Bears.
 
Assumption had its hopes for a Northeast-10 Conference championship season dashed in the semifinals on Nov. 8 as the Greyhounds dropped a 1-0 decision against Saint Anselm. The Greyhounds advanced in the NE-10 tournament following a 1-0 win against Stonehill in the quarterfinals. Assumption has notched 12 shutouts on the season and has not allowed more than two goals in a single contest.
 
This will be the third all-time meeting between the two programs as all three have come during the postseason. ESU and Assumption first met in the 1999 ECAC semifinals as the Greyhounds posted a 1-0 victory against the Warriors. The two last met in the 2002 ECAC semifinals as the Warriors tallied a 2-0 shutout against the Greyhounds.
 
Saturday's contest will be the second NCAA Tournament matchup to be held at Whitenight Field. The Warriors hosted Shippensburg in the first round of the 2016 NCAA DII Field Hockey Championship. Assumption will be making its first appearance in the tournament, while ESU makes its fifth-straight appearance since 2015 and eighth overall since 2001.
 
Assumption is guided offensively by Deirdre Burchill, who has 15 goals and five assists on the season for the Greyhounds. Summer Welsh is second on the team with 10 goals and two assists, while Jenna Graf leads the team with seven assists. Kylie Gargiulo has started 17 matches this season for Assumption, going 13-4 with 11 shutouts and a 0.59 goals-against average.
 
The Warriors have been guided offensively this season by sophomore Celeste Veenstra, who has a team-best 48 points (21 goals, 6 assists). Veenstra garnered PSAC Field Hockey Championship Most Valuable Player accolades after scoring the eventual game-winning goal against Kutztown. Senior Karly Conway leads ESU with eight assists on the season, while senior goalkeeper Maddie Richie is 18-2 with 11 shutouts and a 0.31 goals-against average.
 
Tickets for Saturday's matchup between ESU and Assumption will be $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. Admission for children 12 and under will be $2. There will be no charge for parking around Whitenight Field. Fans can access the NCAA Field Hockey Championship Digital Program by clicking here.