EAST STROUDSBURG -- The third-ranked East Stroudsburg University lacrosse team defeated the Mercyhurst Lakers for the second time in seven days, handing the Lakers a 13-3 loss on Friday afternoon afternoon at Eiler-Martin Stadium in an NCAA First Round matchup at Eiler-Martin Stadium.

The Warriors (18-1) advances to the NCAA Tournament Second Round and will look to secure its second consecutive Atlantic Region Championship on their campus on Sunday. The Lakers close the 2022 campaign with a 14-6 record.

Several milestones were met in NCAA Tournament win, including the Warriors setting a new program record for wins in a season (18), Gianna LeDuc shattering the program record for points in a season with 99, while Emily Mitarotonda established a new program record for goals in a season, now sitting with 75

Notables

• Mitarotonda paced the offense with five goals, picking up three early on for a first quarter hat trick.
• LeDuc posted four points, with three assists and a goal against the Lakers.
• Completing the three-headed monster was Kiki Fitzpatrick, who posted three assists.
• Madison Bagatta and Lauren Neufeld both added a pair of goals, while Maddie Heck, Sophia Graffeo and Olivia Chory round out the goal scorers.
• Also tallying an assist was Mary Fitzsimmons.
• Defensively, Maggie Sell led the defense with four caused turnovers and six ground balls. PSAC East Defender of the Year Kayleigh Pokrivka each added two caused turnovers.
• Kristen Andreychak vacuumed four ground balls.
• ESU GK McKenzie Gaghan picked up four saves in the win. Despite the score, Mercyhurst GK Kaitlyn Lippert made an impressive 19 saves in goal, allowing just 13 goals on 42 total shots.
• Maggie Newton led Hurst;s offense with two goals.
• With the win, ESU now has 18 wins, breaking the previous record 17 set in the 2017 season (17-3).
• Graduate student Gianna LeDuc surpassed Lauren Nunes' 96 points, which was set in the 2016 season. Right behind LeDuc are Emily Mitarotonda's 95 points and Kiki Fitzpatrick's 94 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, overtook Kristin Restivo's 22-year program record for goals in a season, now with 75 in 2022. Restivo posted 72 goals in the year 2000.

How it Happened

• With Mercyhurst GK Lippert playing very strong in the cage, ESU could muster three first period goals, but built a 7-0 lead before conceding the Lakers' first goal with 6:32 remaining in the second quarter.
• ESU closed the first half with a 10-1 advantage on the scoreboard. ESU scored the first two goals in the second half, prior to Newton picking up her second goal of the game with 4:33 left in the third quarter.
• Mercyhurs scored its final goal at the 10:51 mark in the fourth quarter, as ESU closed the contest with goals from Neufeld and Mitarotonda for a final score of 13-3.

Up Next: The Warriors look to defend its 2021 Atlantic Region title on Sunday, battling the winner of West Chester and Seton Hill in the NCAA Second Round at Eiler-Martin Stadium. Game time is set for noon in the Poconos.