No. 2 ESU (15-5) at No. 1 West Chester (18-2)
NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Championship |  Sunday, May 12  |  12:00 PM
* Live Video
* Live Stats
* Tournament Bracket
* First Round Recap/Photos

WEST CHESTER, Pa. – East Stroudsburg University and West Chester will face off once again for a spot in the Division II Final Four on Sunday afternoon.

Opening draw is scheduled for 12 p.m. at West Chester, with the winner advancing to the championship site at Grand Valley State in Allendale, Mich., next weekend. On this same weekend last year, the Warriors topped the Golden Rams 16-14 for their first region title, with three-consecutive goals by junior Hana Cicerelle, senior TJ Jefferis and sophomore Krista Mitarotonda breaking a 13-13 tie late in regulation.

THE MATCH-UP

ESU (15-5) was ranked No. 14 in the latest IWLCA DII Coaches' poll. The Warriors advanced with a 12-8 victory over Mercyhurst on Friday afternoon. Cicerelle provided four goals and three assists, while Jefferis added four goals for the ESU offense.

West Chester (18-2) is ranked No. 5 nationally. The Golden Rams increased their winning streak to 12 games with a 20-10 win over Seton Hill in their first round contest on Friday. PSAC Athlete of the Year Maggie Stella had a team-high six goals in the victory.

BRACKET UPDATE

Le Moyne, the No. 1 seed in the East region, topped Mercy 17-7 in the opening round while third-seeded Adelphi rolled past LIU Post by a 16-3 final.

Other quarterfinals contested on Sunday include Midwest No. 1 Regis vs. No. 3 Colorado Mesa, and South No. 3 Rollins vs. No. 4 Queens (NC). The four quarterfinal winners will be reseeded prior to next weekend's Final Four.

OFFENSIVE MILESTONE FOR JEFFERIS

With the last of her four goals on Friday, TJ Jefferis became the sixth Warrior in program history to reach 200 points in her collegiate career. Jefferis ranks tied for 12th all-time at ESU in goals (127) and she is third in career assists (73). She has scored a career-high 48 goals this spring while also supplying 19 assists.

DEFENSE LEADS THE WAY

The Warrior backline of junior goalkeeper Tatyana Petteway, sophomore Kristen Andreychak, senior Natalie Jacobs, junior Madison Mulligan, sophomore Gillian McEvoy, freshman Chelsea Allie and freshman Hannah Lieto has held opponents to under 10 goals in seven of the last eight games. Petteway continues to lead Division II in save percentage (.559), while ESU is second in the PSAC and 14th nationally in scoring defense (8.30 goals per game).

STAT LEADERS

Mitarotonda leads the team in goals (61) and draw controls (90). She won a season-high eight draws on Friday to help ESU control possession for a majority of the afternoon. Mitarotonda (61 G, 17 A) and Cicerelle (49 G, 29 A) are tied for the team lead with 78 points, while Jefferis follows with 67 points on the year.

Senior Emma Rufolo has supplied 38 goals and 20 assists on offense. She is also first in ground balls (62) and caused turnovers (46), and she is second in draw controls (78).

LOOKING AHEAD

The Atlantic and East region champions will square off at 11 a.m. next Friday, with the other semifinal scheduled for 3 p.m. later that afternoon. The 2019 Division II Women's Lacrosse Championship game will take place at 12 p.m. on Sunday, May 19 at Grand Valley State.