How We Got Here: By winning the PSAC title over Millersville, the Warriors secured the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament and first-round bye straight into the semifinals.
Assumption’s Mia Salah scored the overtime-winning goal against Northeast-10 Conference foe Saint Anselm College on Sunday to punch the Grey Hounds’ ticket to the semifinals.
The Series: ESU revenged their loss to Assumption from a season ago, defeating the Grey Hounds (6-0) back on September 4 at Whitenight Field.
Thursday’s game will mark the second meeting between in the Warriors and Grey Hounds in the NCAA Tournament as ESU knocked off Assumption, 1-0, in the first round back in 2019.
The Warriors hold the edge in the all-time series with a record of 3-2
Who to Watch: The Warriors are guided by a trio of experienced players as seniors Madison Kline and Hanna Lewis lead the team with 10 goals while Nicole Krozser has nine. Graduate student Morgan Mesenbrink, who was named the PSAC Tournament MVP after scoring the game-winning goal, has found the back of the net eight times. Additionally senior Lia Parker has scored seven times while senior Oliva Breen notched six goals.
Sophomore Jady van Gils leads ESU with nine assists while Breen and Kline each have six.
Supey has been one of the top goal keepers in the country as the junior leads the PSAC and NCAA Division II with a 0.46 goals-against average and 0.860 save percentage. The Lehman, Pa. native has recorded 49 saves across 1043 minutes while posting a career-high five shutouts.
Eight players received All-PSAC honors as Breen and Supey were chosen to the First Team while Kline, Krozser, van Gils and junior Maddy Barbush were honored to the Second Team. Lewis and Parker finished out the selections for ESU on the Third Team.
The Warriors also garnered four PSAC Weekly Honors during the regular season - Sept. 6 | Olivia Breen | Defensive Athlete of the Week, Sept. 27 | Madison Kline | Athlete of the Week, Oct. 18 | Amy Supey | Defensive Athlete of the Week, Nov. 1 | Lia Parker | Athlete of the Week. Additionally, Parker was honored as the NHFCA DII Field Hockey Athlete of the Week on Nov. 2
Scouting Assumption: Senior Christina Leonard and sophomore Mia Salah pace the Grey Hounds offensively, each scoring 26 points as the duo has combined for 21 goals and 10 assists. In goal, graduate student Kylie Gargiulo has started all 20 games for Assumption, recording 99 saves, a 1.48 goals-against average, .762 save percentage and six shutouts.
The Coaches: Sandy Miller, who led ESU to a trio of PSAC titles and the 2015 NCAA Division II championships, is in her 38th season at the helm of the program. Miller has totaled 477 career victories, needing 11 more to move into third all-time in Division II. Miller and the Warriors will look to advance to their fourth title in program history and first since 2018.
Annie Lahey is in her 12th season as head coach of Assumption, leading the Grey Hounds to their second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Semifinals. Lahey holds a record of 127-85.
National Rankings: The Warriors vaulted up to the top spot in the NFHCA National Coaches Poll after claiming the PSAC Championship while Assumption ranked in a tie for seventh.
National Recognition: At last night’s opening ceremony for the 2022 Division II Fall Championships Festival, the Warriors was honored for having the top cumulative grade-point average with the Team GPA Award.
A Look Ahead: The winner of Thursday’s game will advance to face No. 2 Shippensburg or No. 3 West Chester on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the 2022 NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championship Game
