SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. -- The three-headed monster of Kiki Fitzpatrick, Gianna LeDuc and Emily Mitarotonda combined for 18 of the sixth-ranked East Stroudsburg University lacrosse team's 24 points in a convincing 15-3 win over the Raiders on Wednesday afternoon at Robb Sports Complex.
The Warriors (14-1, 10-1 PSAC East) are now just one win away from clinching a PSAC East Regular Season Co-Championship with West Chester. ESU holds the tiebreaker against the Golden Rams, after producing a goal differential of plus-three in two meetings this season and would hold top seed in the East Division in the upcoming PSAC Championships with a win over Bloomsburg on Saturday.
The Raiders drop to 4-12, 2-9 in conference action.
Notables
- Fitzpatrick led ESU with eight points, scoring four goals and distributing four assists. She matched her season and career-high with eight points, which she set against IUP and matched it twice against Shippensburg in 2022. LeDuc, (3x, including a 9-point performance), Fitzpatrick (3x) and Mitarotonda (2x) have now combined to record eight eight-point performances this season.
- LeDuc added four goals and a pair of assists, and now has 40 assists on the season. She trails just Lauren Nunes' 61 assists that she recorded in the 2019 season. The Westtown, N.Y. native's 76 career assists rank fourth all-time, and will overtake Antonia Giannopoilos' 78 career assists with three more helpers this season.
- Fitzpatrick and LeDuc now have 79 points on the season, which is tied for fourth all-time in a single season.
- Mitarotonda added a hat-trick and ana assist, causing a team-best five turnovers and scooped three ground balls and four draw controls. In 2022, Mitarotonda's 59 goals currently ranks fourth-best in a single season in program history, while her 71 points this season are 11th among Warriors.
- Sophia Graffeo added a pair of goals, while McKenna Conklin (1 goal, 1 assist) and Lauren Neufeld all tallied goals on the stat sheet.
- Madison Bagatta added an assist and three ground balls in the win.
- Three-time PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week Kayleigh Pokrivka caused three turnovers and scooped four ground balls in another impressive performance.
- ESU GK McKenzie Gaghen made nine saves in 52-plus minutes in net. She picked up her eighth win in nine opportunities in 2022. Bella Gismondi played the final seven and a half minutes, registering a save and did not all a shot past her.
- ESU led in shots (32-18), shots on goal (27-13) and draw controls (12-10)
- Seton Hill clinched the PSAC West Regular Season title on Wednesday and will host the PSAC Semifinals and PSAC Championship game on May 6 and May 8. If ESU wins on Saturday, the Warriors will earn a PSAC First Round bye and head straight to Greensburg for the semifinals and would face the winner of the two-seed and three-seed matchup in the PSAC West.
How it Happened
- The Red and Black scored the first three goals of the contest, claiming on early lead five minutes into the contest. Shippensburg struck first with 2:31 to go in the first, but LeDuc started a 5-0 Warrior run with a pair of goals.
- Shippensburg ended the scoring drought with a goal at the 3:05 mark in the second quarter, slicing the deficit to 8-2, but Graffeo found the back of the cage with 23 seconds left in the first half to lift the Warriors to a 9-2 halftime advantage.
- ESU closed the contest strong with a 4-1 run, earning its 14th win of the season by a score of 14-3.
Up Next
- The Warriors close the regular season at Whitenight Field on Saturday, welcoming Bloomsburg for Senior Day.
- Senior Day festivities are set to begin at 10:50 a.m., while first draw is set for Noon against the Huskies.
