How We Got Here: ESU earned a PSAC Quarterfinal bye after holding a tiebreaker against West Chester, as the Warriors and Golden Rams both finished with a 11-1 record in conference action.
About ESU: The Warriors (15-1) enter the postseason strong with wins in each of its past four games, with its lone falter coming against nationally-ranked West Chester in hard-fought 8-7 loss. ESU enters the postseason with a top-20 scoring offense and top-10 defense and have outscored its opponents by an average of 9.56 goals per game, which ranks sixth in the country.
The Three Headed Monster: The balanced Warrior offense has three players ranked in the top-25 in points per game, with Gianna LeDuc (5.25, 16th), Kiki Fitzpatrick (5.19, 18th) and Emily Mitarotonda (4.94, 25) all ranking in the top-25 nationally and three of the top six point scorers in the PSAC. Mitarotonda’s 63 goals rank 22nd in the country, as the PSAC East Athlete of the Year looks to get closer to the Warriors’ program record of Kristin Restivo’s 72 goals scored in 2000. LeDuc and Fitzpatrick each earned All-PSAC East First Team honors.
The Defense: The Warriors defense is arguably the biggest strength of the team, led by graduate student and PSAC East Defender of the Year Kayleigh Pokrivka. Pokrivka leads the nation in caused turnovers per game (3.13) and ranks eighth in ground balls per game with 3.69. Maggie Sell ranked eight in the conference in caused turnovers, earning All-PSAC Second Team accolades. In the cage, McKenzie Gaghan was played the majority of minutes each of the past five games and ranks in the top-10 nationally in goals against average (7.04) and save percentage (.496).
Know your Foe: The Lakers (14-4) enter the contest on a six game-winning streak, defeating IUP with a goal with five seconds remaining to defeat the Crimson Hawks by an 8-7 margin. Mercyhurst leads the PSAC in draw controls and boasts a strong defense, allowing just eight goals per game. GK Kaitlyn Lippert led the PSAC in save percentage (.523) and ranked second in goals against average to ESU’s McKenzie Gaghan. The Lakers’ assistant coach, Tatyana Petteway, is an ESU alumna and is ESU’s all-time saves leader with 764 saves, ranking sixth all-time in Division II. She helped lead the defensive efforts of the 2201 NCAA DII Atlantic Region Champions and is a three-time All-American.
Rankings: In the latest IWLCA Coaches’ Poll ESU is ranked sixth for the third consecutive week. In the PSAC, West Chester is ranked fourth, while conference tournament host Seton Hill is ranked 20th and Mercyhurst is receiving votes. In the NCAA DII Atlantic Region Rankings, ESU tops the poll, while West Chester follows as the runner-up. Seton Hill and Mercyhurst round out the top-four, while IUP and Millersville were also featured on the rankings. The PSAC Champion will likely host the NCAA Tournaments’ first two rounds.
Series History: Mercyhurst leads the all-time series by a count of 14-19. The Warriors have won the last two meetings against MU, facing the Lakers in the 2019 PSAC Playoffs and the NCAA Tournament. Since 2017, ESU holds a 6-2 edge.
Up Next
The winner of the ESU-Mercyhurst matchup will advance to the PSAC Championship game against the other semifinal winner between Seton Hill and West Chester on Sunday at noon.
