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Trent Weaver

No. 14 ESU Lacrosse Preps for 2019 PSAC Title Game at No. 6 West Chester (Sunday, 1 p.m.)

5/4/2019 12:00:00 AM

Friday Recap/Photos (ESU 8, Mercyhurst 7)  |  PSAC Tournament Page  |  Sunday Live Stats  |  Sunday Live Video

EAST STROUDSBURG – The last two PSAC women's lacrosse champions will battle for supremacy again on Sunday.

No. 14 East Stroudsburg University, fresh off an 8-7 overtime victory over Mercyhurst on Friday, will square off at No. 6 West Chester in this year's conference final at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon. The Golden Rams, who are hosting this weekend's tournament, also required extra time to dispatch of Seton Hill by a 16-15 final in the semifinal round.

The Warriors (14-4) earned their first ever PSAC title with a 10-9 win over Mercyhurst in 2017, while West Chester (16-2) reclaimed the top spot in the conference with a 17-12 victory over the Lakers last spring. This will be the first meeting between the two teams in the PSAC tournament in 11 years.

ESU is the last team to defeat West Chester this season, as the Warriors rallied from a 14-11 deficit in the final two minutes to secure a thrilling 15-14 overtime victory at Whitenight Field on March 27. Senior Emma Rufolo had three points during the home side's decisive run, including the game-tying goal with 53 seconds left in regulation, and sophomore Krista Mitarotonda scored the game-winner in the first OT session. Junior Tatyana Petteway made a season-high 18 saves in goal to give the Warriors an opportunity for their late heroics.

The Golden Rams have not lost since, as they enter Sunday's final on a 10-game winning streak. They were almost tripped up by Seton Hill on Friday, however, trailing 15-12 with under 10 minutes remaining before initiating a late comeback attempt of their own.

Mitarotonda has provided both of ESU's overtime winners this season, as she was set up by senior TJ Jefferis 3:19 into extra time to finish off Mercyhurst in the semifinals. With that goal, she became the first Warrior in team history to record a pair of 60-goal seasons. Mitarotonda has a team-high 60 strikes this year after scoring 67 times in her debut campaign last spring.

Five different players have 30+ goals for West Chester on the year. Ryan McKinney has a team-high 48 goals, while Tatum Altman leads the way with 64 points (30 G, 34 A). Maggie Stella, the 2019 PSAC Athlete of the Year, has totaled 43 goals, 18 assists and a team-best 81 draw controls.

ESU has won two in a row in the series overall, as the Warriors upset the previously-undefeated Golden Rams 16-14 in last year's Division II Atlantic Region final to secure the first national Final Four appearance in program history.

Regardless of Sunday's result, both teams are expected to once again qualify for this year's DII tournament. Selections for the national field will be announced on NCAA.com at 8:30 p.m. Sunday night. West Chester was No. 1 in the most-recent Atlantic Region rankings, while ESU followed at No. 2. A total of four teams from the region will advance to the national tournament.
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