EAST STROUDSBURG – Despite trailing 2-1 headed into the fourth quarter, the defending PSAC champions and top-seeded East Stroudsburg University field hockey team didn't flinch as the Warriors rallied to defeat No. 4 seed Mansfield, 3-2, in overtime in a PSAC Semifinal game on Friday afternoon at Whitenight Field.
Madison Kline answered the call for the Warriors as the senior tied the game at 2-2 with 3:55 remaining on the clock before blasting home a shot off a penalty corner at the 67:46 mark in overtime to propel ESU to the PSAC Championship game on Sunday. Fellow senior
Grace Lesh collected the assists on both goals off the stick of Kline.
The Warriors tally their sixth straight victory and improved to 16-2 on the season while the Mounties wrapped up a historic season 12-7 overall.
Today's game marked the first postseason meeting between the teams and ESU extended its winning streak over Mansfield as the Warriors have now defeated the Mounties in 20 consecutive contests dating back to 2008.
Notables
- Kline tallied her team-high 10th and 11th goals of the season as well as her fourth game-winner to push her season point total to 27. Kline now has a career-high 11 goals for the season and is up to 26 for her career.
- Senior Hanna Lewis got the scoring started for ESU with her eighth goal of the season at the 6:14 mark in the first quarter
- Alex Esterling (15) and Ella Du Plessis (3) each found the back of the cage for the Mounties while Hannah Meyer and Sarame Radel both recorded an assist
- Senior goalkeeper Amy Supey finished with one save in the victory while Mansfield's August Lewis notched a trio of saves
- The Warriors had the advantage in shots (20-4) and shots on goal (14-3) as well as a slim edge in penalty corners (12-9)
- ESU has now won five of its last six PSAC Tournament games and improved their all-time record to 14-17 in the championship rounds. Additionally, it marked the fourth PSAC title game appearance in the last eight seasons for the Warriors.
- Sandy Miller continued her pursuit of 500 career victories as the 39th-year head coach notched her 495th win this afternoon
- Receiving 13 of the 19 first-place votes, ESU moved back up to No. 1 in Tuesday's NFHCA Division II National Coaches Poll
- In third edition of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional rankings released on Wednesday, ESU was No. 2 behind Shippensburg
How It Happened
6:14 |
40:31 | The Mounties cashed in on their second straight penalty corner as Esterling redirected an initial shot from Meyer into the bottom left corner of the cage to tie the score at 1-1
42:12 | Less than two minutes later, Mansfield took advantage of another penalty corner when Radel dropped off a pass to Du Plessis, who blasted a low shot into the back of the cage to give the Mounties a 2-1 lead
56:05 |
67:48 |
Up Next
It's a rematch of the 2022 NCAA Division II National Championship on Sunday as #1 ESU battles #2 Shippensburg in the PSAC Championship game at 1 p.m. from Whitenight Field
