EAST STROUDSBURG – For the first time in 312 days, the top-ranked East Stroudsburg University field hockey team left the field without a victory as Pace stunned the Warriors, 4-3, in overtime on Wednesday afternoon at Whitenight Field.
ESU, who dropped to 5-1, saw its longest overall winning streak in program history come to an end at 13 games and was defeated for the first time since November 5, 2022. After dropping out of this week's edition of the NFHCA Division II Coaches Poll, the Setters collected their second consecutive victory to improve to 3-2.
The Warriors took a 3-2 lead at the 39:25 mark in the third quarter when senior
Maddy Barbush converted a penalty corner. The resilient Setters battled deep into the fourth quarter when Krista Dietz scored with 5:14 remaining on the clock to tie it up. After each team had chances in overtime, Pace finally cashed in when Tavia Flecksteiner got a stick on the ball near the crease as the teams battled for possession.
Notables
- For the second straight game, junior Jady van Gils scored twice to pace the Warriors offensively. van Gils is now tied for the team lead with seniors Madison Kline and Hanna Lewis
- Making her 46th career start, Barbush registered the first collegiate goal
- Graduate student Lia Parker collected her team and PSAC-leading fifth assist of the campaign
- Senior goalkeeper Amy Supey (5-1) was credited with her first three saves of the season
- Scoring for the Setters was Julia Eshleman (28:51) and Noelle Meij (34:37). Melissa Ritchie, Dietz and Eshleman (2) were each credited with at least one assist for Pace. Freshman goalkeeper Celeste Pagliaroli made an impressive 14 saves.
- Despite the loss, ESU had a significant advantage in shots (36-8), shots on goals (18-7) and penalty corners (16-6)
- The Warriors suffered their first home loss in the last 13 games, with their last defeat coming at the hands of Shippensburg on September 29, 2021
- Head coach Sandy Miller remained at 484 career wins, still needing three more victories to move into third all-time in NCAA Division II
- ESU is now 29-12 all-time when ranked as the No. 1 team in NCAA Division II, dating back to 2004
How It Happened
13:40 | Parker received the pass off the penalty corner and dished it to her right for van Gils, who dribbled before blasting a shot that ended up in the bottom left corner of the cage for ESU's first goal
28:51 | The Setters took advantage of back-to-back penalty corners as Ritchie dumped off the initial pass to Eshleman, who proceeded to blast a shot that tied the game at 1-1
34:57 | After a turnover by the Warriors near midfield, the Setters raced towards the offensive end with Eshleman dropping off the ball for Meij, who flicked a shot in to give Pace a 2-1 edge
37:31 | van Gills took matters into her own hands just minutes later when she sliced through the Pace defense before unleashing a cross handed shot to even the score at 2-2
39:25 | Following a deliberate foul by Pace inside their own shooting circle, Barbush put home a penalty stroke into the lower left corner that grazed off the stick of the goalie to give ESU a 3-2 advantage
54:46 | With the clock ticking down in the fourth quarter, the teams looked to gain control of the ball following a Pace penalty corner as the Setters' Dietz came out with the goal to tie the score once again
67:36 | Flecksteiner got a stick on the ball near a heavily congested crease to ultimately score the game-winning goal
Up Next
The Warriors go 10 days in between games but continue their home stand on Saturday, September 23 with a non-conference tilt against Roberts Wesleyan at 1 p.m.
