GREENSBURG, Pa. -- After West Chester grabbed its first lead of the game at 10-9 in the third quarter, the sixth-ranked East Stroudsburg University lacrosse team buckled down and scored six of the final eight goals, earning its second-ever PSAC Championship with a 15-12 win over WCU at Seton Hill University's Dick's Sporting Goods Field.

The Warriors (17-1) match its program record for wins and earned its second conference title with the win. The Golden Rams (16-2) fall to ESU for the second time in three matchups this season and come up short for their fourth consecutive PSAC Championship.

Notables

• Gianna LeDuc paced the Warrior offense with five goals on five shots and posted three assists, contributing eight total points. Following the contest, she was named the PSAC Tournament Most Valuable Player, after totaling seven goals and four assists in wins over Mercyhurst and West Chester. With her first goal of the contest, LeDuc tallied her 100th career goal as a Warrior.
• Emily Mitarotonda, the PSAC East Athlete of the Year, registered four goals and an assist, scooping four ground balls and caused four turnovers. She also grabbed seven draw controls.
• Sophia Graffeo found the back of the cage four times in her first postseason contest. 
• Kiki Fitzpatrick scored a goal and contributed two assists, while Madison Bagatta also distributed two assists. Maddie Heck also found the back of the cage.
• Kayleigh Pokrivka, Heck and Maggie Sell all caused three turnovers, while Kristen Andreychak added a pair in a strong defensive performance.
• GK McKenzie Gaghan made an impressive 10 saves, matching her season and career-best output.
• ESU led 23-22 in shots on goal, 10-8 on saves and 20-19 on ground balls.
• The Warriors entered the contest 0-3 against West Chester in PSAC Title matches.
• ESU became PSAC Champions for the first time in 2017, downing Mercyhurst by a score of 10-9 at Whitenight Field.
• The PSAC Championship marks ESU's first conference title as a department since the volleyball and field hockey teams claimed conference championships in Fall 2019.

How it Happened

• Graffeo opened the scoring, accepting a pass from Bagatta and deposited a shot into the cage.
• West Chester quickly knotted the game, tying the contest less than a minute later, but Heck would break the tie a few minutes later.
• WCU tied the contest on a free position with 7:08 to go in the first quarter.
• Mitarotonda strung together a pair of goals to lift ESU to a 5-3 lead, but WCU closed the scoring in the first quarter, with the Warriors holding a 5-4 lead.
• The Warriors had a strong start in the second quarter, with a pair of woman down goals from LeDuc, as ESU increased its lead to 7-4. ESU doubled up the Golden Rams at 8-4, before WCU scored two consecutive goals to slice the deficit to 8-6.
• Graffeo accepted a pass from LeDuc and deposited her second goal of the first half, as LeDuc posted five points in the first half with three goals and two assists.
• It was the Golden Rams that grabbed momentum following halftime, scoring four unanswered goals to take its first led at 10-9. Mitarotonda ended the scoring drought, tying the contest at 10-10 with 9:41 remaining in the third quarter.
• Graffeo posted two goals in the final three minutes of the period, while the Golden Rams also added a tally, as ESU held a slim 12-11 lead after three quarters.
• The fourth quarter was scoreless until the 8:08 mark, as LeDuc buried two goals to lift ESU to a 14-12 lead. West Chester answered at the 6:21 mark, but ESU closed the scoring with a goal from Mitarotonda with 3:23 left to seal the 15-13 victory.

Up Next

• The Warriors will officially find out its NCAA Tournament fate and if it has earned hosting rights for the first two rounds on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. during the NCAA Division II Women's Lacrosse Selection Show on NCAA.com. ESU has been top-seed in the Atlantic Region each of the past three weeks.
• The NCAA First and Second Round will take place on Fri., May 13 and Sun., May 15.