EAST STROUDSBURG – The No. 3-seeded East Stroudsburg University field hockey team will host No. 6-seeded Bloomsburg University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The match is scheduled for tomorrow at 1 p.m. on Nov. 16 at Whitenight Field. The winner will advance to the Final Four next weekend in Gaffney, South Carolina.
How to Follow:
- The match will be broadcast on the PSAC Sports Digital Network.
- Live stats will be available at esuwarriors.com.
- Tickets will be available for purchase at the gate.
- Follow @esuwarriors on Twitter for live updates.
Game Notes:
How We Got Here: The No. 3-seeded Warriors come in with a 16-4 overall record and a 7-2 mark in PSAC play. They played in their third straight PSAC Championship but were unable to score first in overtime. On Monday, the NCAA selected ESU as the third seed. Bloomsburg enters the NCAA Tournament with a 15-5 record and a 6-3 mark in PSAC play. In the PSAC Tournament, the Huskies defeated West Chester 2-1 at home to advance to the PSAC semifinal. In the semifinal, they fell to eventual PSAC Champion Shippensburg 2-1 in overtime.
The Series: ESU trails Bloomsburg in the all-time head-to-head record, 17-47. However, since 2014, the Warriors have won 11 of 13 matchups against the Huskies, including eight shutouts. In the last two meetings, the home team won each time. In 2023, Bloomsburg won 1-0 at Steph Pettit Stadium. Earlier this season, the Huskies took a 2-0 lead at Whitenight Field, only for the Warriors to score three unanswered goals and win the match in overtime.
Scouting ESU: Five Warriors were named All-PSAC this week, with
Jady van Gils winning her second Athlete of the Year award. Juniors
Kerry Kaufman and
Charlotte Simon were selected to the Second Team. Sophomore
Minke Klijn and junior
Bella Viruet earned Third Team honors. Van Gils' second Athlete of the Year award makes her the only Warrior in program history to earn the honor twice. She is also one of only five individuals in the nation with more than 10 assists. Simon, who splits time at back, and Viruet, who starts at back, have been crucial in limiting opponents to just seven shots per game. This has helped goalkeepers
Sydney Pope and
Jet Vermeulen to record eight regulation shutouts.
Scouting Bloomsburg: For the Huskies, four players were named All-PSAC. Seniors Kara Koch and Aydan McFarland made the First Team, while fellow seniors Meg Barnard and Jackie Nevel earned Third Team honors. McFarland leads the PSAC in goals and is one of only four individuals in the nation with 20 goals. Barnard and Nevel anchor a defense that has allowed an average of just 1.00 goals per game.
The Coaches: Sandy Miller, a three-time PSAC champion and two-time NCAA champion, is in her 40th season as head coach of the Warriors. With 513 career wins, she ranks third all-time in Division II. Miller and the Warriors are aiming for their third national title, which would be their second in three years.
Nikki Hartranft is in her 15th season at Bloomsburg. Under her leadership, the Huskies have posted a 168-99 record, winning two PSAC Championships and making one NCAA Finals appearance in 2010. Hartranft aims to guide Bloomsburg back to the Final Four with a win tomorrow.
A Look Ahead: The winner of Saturday's quarterfinal will head south to compete in the Final Four hosted by Limestone College next weekend at Saints Field in Gaffney, South Carolina. The semifinal matches are scheduled for Nov. 22, with the championship match set for Nov. 24.
Note For Tomorrow:
Also the first 200 ESU students that wear black get into tomorrow's match free!
