BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – After building a 10-2 halftime lead, the No. 10 East Stroudsburg University lacrosse team coasted to a 14-5 win over Bloomsburg in its PSAC East conference opener on Saturday afternoon at Steph Pettit Stadium. The Warriors (2-0, 1-0 PSAC East) have now won six consecutive matchups against the Huskies (0-1, 0-1 PSAC East), dating back to the 2015 season.
"We played a really solid first half," said ESU lacrosse head coach Xeni Barakos-Yoder on the Warriors' fast start. "The team played as a unit. Tatyana was so strong in the cage today. We are so thankful to have her back."
In a vintage performance, Tatyana Petteway performance, the graduate student from Nanuet, N.Y. made 15 saves in the cage to shutdown Bloomsburg's offense. The US Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year posted an impressive .750 save percentage.
Graduate student Hana Cicerelle led the way offensively with five points on three goals and two assists. Senior Bailey McMaster posted four goals on seven shots, while senior Gianna Leduc also posted a hat trick with three goals. Shannon Dent added a pair of goals to round out the multi-goal scorers.
Freshman Emily Mitarotonda grabbed seven draw controls for ESU. Classmate Jameson Kernaghan scooped four ground balls for the Warriors. Kristen Andreychak, Kayleigh Pokrivka and E. Mitarotonda each caused a pair of turnovers defensively.
Bloomsburg opened the scoring less than two minutes of action, but the nationally-ranked Warriors would respond with nine unanswered goals to build a commanding 9-1 advantage. Cicerelle posted her hat trick in less than 20 minutes in the surge for ESU.
With 5:35 left in the first half, the Huskies ended the Warriors' spree, but E. Mitarotonda would find the back of the cage 33 seconds later, as ESU held a 10-2 lead after 30 minutes.
McMaster scored two of her four goals in the second half, as the Warriors would outscore Bloom, 4-3, in the final 30 minutes to take home a 15-4 triumph.
Despite ESU winning by nine goals, the Huskies were close behind the Warriors in most stat categories including shots (30-28), shots on goal (23-20), free position shots (13-10) and draw controls (12-9). Bloomsburg led ESU in ground balls by a mark of 21-18.
The Warriors are back in action on Wed., March 17, when ESU heads to Millersville. The opening draw is set for 4:00 p.m. at Biemesderfer Stadium.
NOTES: ESU has outscored the opposition 34-9 in two games this season.
