EAST STROUDSBURG -- The third-ranked East Stroudsburg University lacrosse team is set to host its second consecutive NCAA Atlantic Regional, welcoming Mercyhurst to Eiler-Martin Stadium in an NCAA First Round matchup on Friday morning at 11:00 a.m.  

How To Follow: Fans can find helpful links and information about the NCAA Tournament First and Second Rounds on the 2022 NCAA Division II Women's Lacrosse Atlantic Region Championship Central web page. All three games will be broadcasted on the PSAC Sports Digital Network, with Nikolai Busko on the call. 

The Series: The Warriors (17-1) and Lakers (14-5) met just a week ago on Fri., May 6 in the PSAC Semifinals. ESU defeated Mercyhurst in dominating fashion by a score of 13-2 at Seton Hill. Kiki Fitzpatrick and Emily Mitarotonda each tallied five points. ESU built an 11-0 second half lead before conceding its first goal. The full recap can be found on esuwarriors.com. The Lakers lead the all-time series by a mark of 19-15, but the Warriors have earned victories in seven of the past nine meetings.

How We Got Here: After the dominant win over Mercyhurst, ESU advanced to the PSAC Championship against rival West Chester. The Warriors handed West Chester a 15-12 loss after trailing 10-9 in the second half to its rival. With the win, ESU earned the top-seed in the Atlantic Region at the NCAA Selection Show and earned hosting rights. Mercyhurst earned the fourth and final bid from the Atlantic Region after posting a 14-4 record.    

Record Watch

• With a win, ESU will set its program record for wins in a season. The Warriors matched the program record for wins in a season already, previously posting a 17-3 record in 2017.
• Graduate student Gianna LeDuc (96 points) is just two points away from breaking ESU’s single points record, currently sitting a single point behind Lauren Nunes’ 96 points in the 2016 campaign. Right behind LeDuc are Kiki Fitzpatrick’s 91 points and Emily Mitarotonda’s 90 points. The three-headed monster all rank in the top-20 in NCAA DII in total points and top-25 in points per game.
• Mitarotonda, the PSAC East Athlete of the Year, registered four goals and an assist against the Golden Rams and now stands with 70 goals on the season in 18 games. She is just three goals away from breaking Kristin Restivo’s single season goal record of 72 goals set in 2000.

Have a Week: ESU senior goalkeeper McKenzie Gaghan had quite an eventful three days earlier this week, posting a win in ESU’s second-ever PSAC Championship. She posted 10 saves against the Golden Rams and allowed just a pair of goals against Mercyhurst, closing the week with more saves than goals allowed on Sunday. On Monday, Gaghan and joined her fellow ESU lacrosse and baseball graduates at a ceremony inside Koehler Fieldhouse, since she missed ESU’s graduation on Sunday afternoon. On Tuesday, Gaghan and was recognized as the IWLCA Division II Defensive Player of the Week for her impressive play in the cage, joining teammates Kiki Fitzpatrick Kayleigh Porkivka as three Warriors this season to earn IWLCA National Player of the Week.   

NCAA Tournament History: After never earning a bid until 2017, under the helm of ESU head coach Xeni Barakos-Yoder, the Warriors have earned trips to the NCAA Tournament in five consecutive seasons. The Warriors hold a 5-4 record in the NCAA Tournament, earning Atlantic Region championships in 2018 and 2021. Last season, ESU advanced to the NCAA Semifinals with wins over Seton Hill in the NCAA First Round and a dramatic 13-9 win over West Chester in the Atlantic Region final at Eiler-Martin Stadium. ESU’s season ended with a hard-fought 17-14 loss to eventual NCAA runner-up and current No. 1 team in the ILWomen/IWLCA Coaches Poll in Queens.

Elite Defense: While ESU’s impressive offense ranks in the top-20 nationally in scoring offense (15.56 goals per game), the Warrior defense ranks first in ground balls per game, second in caused turnovers per game, sixth in scoring defense. After her big week, Gaghan now ranks third in the country in goals against average (7.03) and seventh in save percentage. Graduate student Kayleigh Pokrivka, the PSAC East Defender of the Year, is tied for the national lead in caused turnovers with Jairy Sandoval (Southern Wesleyan) and Bailey Stumpf (Limestone).  

Rankings: With the PSAC Championship victory over then No. 4 West Chester, ESU jumped three spots in the ILWomen/IWLCA Coaches Poll from No. 6 to No. 3. Mercyhurst has consistently received votes in the coaches’ poll. 

Up Next: The winner of Friday morning’s matchup will advance to the NCAA Second Round and Atlantic Regional Championship on Sunday at Noon inside Eiler-Martin Stadium. The winner of the West Chester-Seton Hill matchup will advance to the Atlantic Region Championship.