EAST STROUDSBURG – The top-three matchup between No. 2 East Stroudsburg and No. 3 West Chester lived up to the hype as the Warriors outlasted the Golden Rams, 3-2, in a back-and-forth PSAC field hockey contest on Wednesday afternoon at Whitenight Field.
With the game tied at 2-2 nearing overtime, graduate student
Morgan Mesenbrink scored the fourth game-winning goal of her career with 17 seconds remaining to give ESU their fifth consecutive victory.
The Warriors improve to 12-1 overall and 5-1 in the PSAC while the Golden Rams drop to 10-3 on the season and 3-3 in the conference.
As of right, the Warriors sit atop of the PSAC standings, followed by Shippensburg (4-1), Kutztown (4-1) and Millersville (4-1). The Golden Bears and Marauders are scheduled to play tonight at 7 p.m.
Following a pair of ranked victories last week, the Warriors returned to No. 2 in this week's Penn Monto/NFHCA Division II National Coaches Poll.
Notables
- Senior Madison Kline got the scoring started with her eighth goal of the season at the 19:42 mark to put ESU up 1-0
- With the game tied at 1-1, senior Nicole Krozser redirected an initial shot to put the Warriors back in front, 2-1, with her seventh goal of the year
- Mesenbrink's sixth goal of the season proved to be the game-winner, as the Hartland, Wisc. native scored with 17 seconds
- Seniors Lia Parker (4), Olivia Breen and Hanna Lewis (1) each tallied an assist for the Warriors
- Amy Supey stood on her head for the Warriors today, matching her season-high with six saves. The junior still leads the PSAC and NCAA DII with a 0.36 goals-against average and 0.882 save percentage.
- West Chester had an edge over ESU in shots (17-12), shots on goal (8-6) and penalty corners (9-6)
- Finding the back of the net for the Golden Rams was Valerie Van Kuijck and Claudia Jaszczak
- In her 38th season, head coach Sandy Miller collected her 471st career victory today, now needing 16 more to move into third all-time in Division II
How it Happened
19:42 | Parker sent in an initial blast from well outside the shooting circle that caromed off the stick of Kline to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead in the second quarter
38:29 | West Chester executed a penalty corner to perfection as the entry pass from Ella Shockley found the stick of Van Kuijck, who took one touch before crushing a shot that resulted in a goal to tie the game at 1-1
42:24 | The Warriors converted one of their six corners of the afternoon as Breen hammered as shot towards goal that was deflected by Krozser to put ESU back ahead, 2-1
45:40 | Just 40 seconds in the fourth quarter, the Golden Rams tied the game at 2-2 as Jaszczak maneuvered her way through the left side of the Warriors' defense before powering a shot into the back of the net
59:43 | After corralling the loose ball inside the shooting circle, Lewis sent a bouncing shot that redirected off the stick Mesenbrink inside the right post to give the Warriors their fifth straight win
Up Next
The Warriors close out their homestand on Saturday with their final non-conference game of the regular season against Frostburg State at 1 p.m.
