Championship Central | 2019 NCAA DII Field Hockey Championship Bracket | NCAA DII Field Hockey Digital Program | 2019 PSAC Championship Gear Store

EAST STROUDSBURG – The second-ranked East Stroudsburg University women's field hockey team will face third-ranked Saint Anselm College on Friday at 5 p.m. in the semifinals of the 2019 NCAA DII Field Hockey Championship. The match will be held at Millersville's Biemesderfer Stadium.
 
ESU (19-2) recorded a 1-0 win against No. 7 Assumption on Saturday at Whitenight Field in the opening round of the tournament. The Warriors tallied their 15th shutout of the season and have outscored their opponents 5-0 in three playoff matches.
 
The Warriors captured their first PSAC Field Hockey Championship since 2015 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.
 
Saint Anselm (19-2) won its first Northeast-10 Conference Championship after defeating Southern New Hampshire 2-0. The Hawks have outscored their opponents 66-4 this and recorded a shutout in all of their 19 wins. The only two teams to defeat the Hawks this season are Lindenwood and Assumption.
 
This will be the first all-time meeting between the two programs as the Hawks played their inaugural season in 2001. Saint Anselm is 1-3 in NCAA DII Tournament matchups and appeared in the 2016 Final Four before losing in overtime against LIU Post.
 
Saint Anselm features a balanced scoring attack as the Hawks have three double-digit goal scorers in 2019. Carly LaCasse leads the way with 12 goals, while Hannah Friend and Michelle Lemelin both have 10 goals on the season. Friend has a team-high nine assists for the Hawks this season, while four other players are tied with five assists. In net, Julia Hand is 19-2 for the Hawks and sports a 0.17 goals-against average to go along with 13 shutouts.
 
The Warriors have been guided offensively this season by sophomore Celeste Veenstra, who has a team-best 50 points (22 goals, 6 assists). Veenstra garnered PSAC Field Hockey Championship Most Valuable Player accolades after scoring the eventual game-winning goal against Kutztown. She becomes just the fourth player in program history to record 50 points in a single-season. Senior Karly Conway leads ESU with nine assists on the season, while senior goalkeeper Maddie Richie is 19-2 with 12 shutouts and a 0.29 goals-against average.
 
Tickets for Friday's matchup between ESU and Saint Anselm will be $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. Admission for children 12 and under will be $2. Group rates of $2 per person are available for groups of 10 or more. Cash and credit cards will be accepted at the gate on Friday. There will be no charge for parking around Biemesderfer Stadium. Fans can access the NCAA Field Hockey Championship Digital Program by clicking here.