EAST STROUDSBURG – Holding a 6-1 edge in the second quarter, the No. 15/16 East Stroudsburg University lacrosse team could not prevent a second-half run from No. 23/16 Kutztown, falling 12-9 to the Golden Bears on Tuesday afternoon at Keystone Field.
With the loss, the Warriors (13-5) turns its head to the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday, May 7th at 8:30 p.m., in hopes of securing one of the four available spots allotted to the Atlantic Region in the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Bears (13-4) advance to the PSAC Semifinals against PSAC West No. 1 seed Seton Hill on Friday at West Chester.
Emily Mitarotonda starred for the Warriors once again, pouring in six goals on eight shots. She scooped five ground balls, caused three turnovers and earned three draw controls. Freshman
Hannah Schiemer contributed a hat trick to account for the nine Warrior goals.
Notables
- Defensively, Maggie Sell earned three ground balls and caused a pair of turnovers. Jameson Kernaghan also caused a turnover on the afternoon.
- Kiki Fitzpatrick led the game with an impressive seven draw controls.
- In the cage, Riley DiFiore made nine saves. KU's Marisa Bragg made three saves in the victory, after coming in to relieve Jenna Blesson.
- The Golden Bears held advantages in shots (25-15), shots on goal (21-12), ground balls (22-14), and had less turnovers (15-22). ESU led in draw controls (14-10) and both teams attempted five free position shots.
- It was the first postseason meeting by the two squads. The Warriors still hold an edge in the all-time series by a mark of 22-10.
- ESU's rare back-to-back losses are the first since falling to No. 4 LIU Post and Slippery Rock in consecutive games during the 2017 season.
How It Happened
- After the Golden Bears scored the opening goal in the third minute of action, the Warriors seized momentum with six consecutive goals, building a five goal lead at 6-1 with 12:20 left in the first half. Schiemer scored two goals, while Mitarotonda supplied four goals during the impressive stretch, picking up her 70th goal of the season with her fourth goal. KU was able to slice the halftime deficit to just a pair with a 3-0 run over the final 10 minutes of the first half.
- The Golden Bears kept momentum with the late run, as KU cut the deficit to a single goal in the second minute of the second half. Mitarotonda fired her fifth goal of the game to lift the Warriors back to a two-goal edge. From that momentum on in the third period KU took control, scoring six consecutive goals to grab an 11-7 lead.
- The Warriors never gave up, ending the run with Schiemer's third goal to pickup the hat trick. Mitarotonda followed with her sixth goal of the day, cutting the deficit to two goals at 11-9 with 7:18 to go. With 4:27 to go, KU put the game on ice with its 12th goal of the day, building a four-goal lead late to wrap up the scoring at Keystone Field.
Up Next
- The Warriors are eliminated from the PSAC Tournament with the loss. ESU, who was ranked No. 2 in the latest NCAA DII Atlantic Region poll last week, hopes it hears its name called during the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday, May 7th at 8:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.
