EAST STROUDSBURG – After a tough road loss to close the regular season, the No. 15/14 East Stroudsburg University lacrosse team begins postseason play where it ended the regular season, at Kutztown in the PSAC Tournament Quarterfinal on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m.
 
How to Follow: PSAC East No. 3 seed East Stroudsburg visits No.2 seed Kutztown for the second time in three days, with the Golden Bears earning a tight 16-14 win on Saturday. The contest will be broadcasted on the PSAC Sports Digital Network, with live stats available on kubears.com. Tickets for Tuesday's quarterfinal game at Kutztown are $10 for adults, $5 for students (K-12) and free for students from PSAC member institutions with valid school ID. Tickets can be purchased online HERE, or at Keystone Field prior to the game.

Last Time Out: The back-and-forth affair so Kutztown grow a three-goal edge in the third quarter at 13-10, before the Warriors stormed forward with a 4-0 spree to grab a 14-13 lead with 10:39 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Golden Bears tallied the final three goals over the final six minutes, locking up the goal-differential tiebreaker with a 16-14 win against the Warriors.
 
The Series: The two regional rivals split its regular season meetings, with ESU picking up a close 10-9 against the Golden Bears at Whitenight Field on April 5. Against KU this season, Emily Mitarotonda has led the way registering 11 goals, two assists, 13 points, four groundballs, 19 draw controls and four caused turnovers. ESU leads the all-time series, 22-9, with Kutztown’s latest win snapping an 11-game winning streak against the Golden Bears.
 

About the Warriors: ESU looks to bounce back after a rare PSAC East loss. Emily Mitarotonda scored seven goals against KU in that matchup, with Madison Bagatta also posting multiple goals. On the seaons, Mitarotonda ranks 11th in goals per game and 11th in caused turnovers per game, tied with teammate Maggie Sell with 2.12 per contest. Warrior goalkeeper Riley DiFiore ranks highly in save percentage (3rd) and saves per game (16th), with ESU holding the top spot in the country for team save percentage.

About the Golden Bears: With the ranked-win over ESU, Kutztown checks in both major polls, ranking No. 23 in the IWLCA poll and No. 16 in the USA Lacrosse Rankings. KU ranks highly nationally in clear percentage (13th, 86.5%), ground balls per game (8th, 21.81) and boasts a top-30 offense (28) and defense (28) among 100 NCAA DII lacrosse programs. Emma Meakim’s 57 assists tops the PSAC and ranks fourth in the country. Her team-high 78 points ranks third in the conference. 

ESU in the PSAC Tournament: The Warriors are the defending PSAC Champions, and seek their third conference title overall, also taking home the title in 2017. Overall, ESU holds a record of 9-10 in the PSAC Tournament since 1985. ESU has advanced to the semifinals in each of the past five seasons. It marks the first time that the two programs have met in the postseason.

What’s Next: The ESU-KU winner advances to the PSAC Tournament Semifinals against PSAC West No. 1 seed Seton Hill on Friday at 4:00 p.m. at West Chester’s Vonnie Gros Field. The PSAC Championship will take place on Sunday at noon.