EAST STROUDSBURG -- In the PSAC East opener, the No. 7 East Stroudsburg University lacrosse team used scoring runs of 9-0 and 6-0 to down previously undefeated Millersville, 19-6, on Wednesday afternoon at Whitenight Field

The Warriors (4-0, 1-0 PSAC East) remain unbeaten, while the Marauders (4-1, 0-1 PSAC East) fall in its first conference game of the season.

The balanced Warrior offense was led by Emily Mitarotonda, who provided six goals and an assist on the day. The Rockaway, N.J. native also led ESU with seven draw controls.

Notables

• Kiki Fitzpatrick posted five points on three goals and two assists, while freshman Sophia Graffeo added four goals.
• Madison Bagatta added a hattrick, while Gianna LeDuc added two goals and an assist for three points.
• McKenna Conklin added a goal and an assist.
• Jameson Kernaghan added a pair of helpers to round out the ESU point scorers.
• McKenzie Gaghan (1-0) earned her first career win in the cage, picking up a save. Bella Gismondi closed the game with the final 13-plus minutes in the fourth quarter, earning a pair of saves.
• Kayleigh Pokrivka (4 CT, 6 GB), Jameson Kernaghan (4 CT, 3 GB) and Kirsten Andreychak (3 CT) led helped McKenzie Gaghan in the cage.
• The Marauders were led by Seton Hill transfer Kristi Kada (two goals, two assists, seven draw controls) and Ashlyn Simonetti (two goals). Morgan Scott (4-1) was charged with the loss, picking up an impressive 16 saves and kept 'Ville in the game in the first half.  
• The Warriors held advantages in shots (44-11), shots on goal (35-9), turnovers (15-29), clears (17-20, 10-19), ground balls (37-17), draw controls (15-14) and free position shots (7-3).

How It Happened

• The opening quarter began slow in terms of scoring, as ESU took the first lead with an unassisted goal from Gianna LeDuc. 'Ville countered with a goal from Kada less than 30 seconds later to even the score at 1-1.
• Nearly four-minutes later, Sophia Graffeo posted a man-up goal, which sparked a 9-0 scoring run for the Warriors. Bagatta found the back of the net three times during the stretch, while Graffeo and Mitarotonda added a pair of tallies.
• With ESU leading 10-1, the Marauders fought back with three consecutive goals to close the first half along with the second half opening goal, as suddenly Millersville trailed by just five at 10-5 early on in the second half.
• ESU settled down, scoring nine of the final 10 goals of the contest, reaching the 10-goal lead running clock mark at 15-5 and cruised to a 19-6 win at Whitenight Field. Fitzpatrick added all three of her goals during this stretch, while Mitarotonda posted four of her six goals in the second half.  

Up Next

• ESU jumps out of conference to play No. 15 Pace in a battle of nationally-ranked teams on Saturday, March 19 at Whitenight Field.
• The opening draw is set for noon in the Poconos.