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WEST CHESTER, Pa. – For the second time in three years, East Stroudsburg University will play for a PSAC women's lacrosse championship.

Sophomore Shannon Dent tied the score with 29 seconds left in regulation, and senior TJ Jefferis set up sophomore Krista Mitarotonda 3:19 into overtime, as the Warriors rallied past Mercyhurst for a thrilling 8-7 victory at West Chester on Friday afternoon.

ESU (14-4) will play the host Golden Rams at 1 p.m. on Sunday in the conference final. West Chester also used a late rally to overcome Seton Hill by a 16-15 final in overtime earlier this afternoon.

"The team really pulled it together late," head coach Xeni Barakos-Yoder said. "We've had a lot of history with Mercyhurst over these last few years, and we're excited to be back in the championship game after losing to them at this stage last season. Hustle and heart set us apart today."

The win did not come easy, as Mercyhurst used a 5-0 run over an 11 minute stretch to move in front 7-5 with 6:32 left in the second half.

Mitarotonda quickly reduced the deficit back down to one 25 seconds later, but Mercyhurst had an opportunity to run out the clock after forcing a turnover in the final minute. Senior Emma Rufolo, though, chased down Laker defender Diana Schmitt, knocked the ball out of her stick, and set up Dent for the late equalizer.

Junior Tatyana Petteway made the last of several acrobatic saves in the contest with 1:30 remaining in the first three-minute overtime session, and Jefferis found Mitarotonda for the winning strike 19 seconds after the teams switched sides.

Petteway had 16 saves overall, two shy of her season-high, and she finished with a stellar .696 save percentage to keep the Warriors in the game throughout.

The teams combined for only 13 goals during their regular season meeting, a 7-6 Mercyhurst victory, and they were on pace for an even lower-scoring affair for a majority of the afternoon. Mitarotonda put ESU in front 3-2 with 13:35 left in the first half, and that score held until sophomore Bailey McMaster set up Jefferis for the Warriors' fourth goal 11 minutes into the second half. Rufolo gave ESU its largest lead of 5-2 before Mercyhurst began its comeback attempt.

Jefferis (3 G, 1 A) had a team-high four points in the win, while Mitarotonda scored three goals and Rufolo supplied a goal and two assists. Sophomore Kristen Andreychak had three of ESU's 10 caused turnovers on defense.

Mitarotonda's game-winner was her 60th strike of the season. She is up to 127 for her Warrior career after netting 67 goals in her freshman year last spring.

ESU can now look ahead to a rematch with top-seeded West Chester on Sunday. A Mitarotonda goal in overtime helped the Warriors edge the Golden Rams by a 15-14 final during their regular season meeting at Whitenight Field on March 27.

Sunday will also be a rematch of last year's Division II Atlantic Region final, which the Warriors won 16-14 at West Chester last May. The Golden Rams were PSAC champions last spring after they topped Mercyhurst 17-12 in the championship game; ESU bested the Lakers by a 10-9 decision to claim its first PSAC title back in 2017.