EAST STROUDSBURG – The No. 9 East Stroudsburg University lacrosse team prepares for another season with high expectations, opening the 2024 season on Saturday afternoon against Jefferson. The opening draw against the Rams is set for Noon at Whitenight Field.

How to Follow: Follow @ESUWarriors and @ESULacrosse on X, formerly known as Twitter and @esuwarriors or @esulacrosse on Instagram for the latest news and updates. All ESU home games are broadcasted on the PSAC Sports Digital Network and live stats are available at esuwarriors.com.

Attack: Now a sophomore, Jolee Roth returns after starting in 19 of 20 games a season ago for the Warriors. Roth is the leading returner in assists for ESU (17 assists) and ranks second among returners in points with 37. Junior Sophia Graffeo enters her junior season with 45 goals, which includes a game-winning goal in the NCAA Semifinals in 2022. Senior Mary Fitzsimmons is also back at the position, who has 15 career points to date. ESU welcomes UAlbany transfer, sophomore Courtney Reynolds, along with freshmen Jamie Butt, Paige Moreland, Maddy Poltrack and Natalie Ruffus as newcomers. 

Midfielder: Senior captain Emily Mitarotonda, a three-time IWLCA All-America selection who set ESU’s career goals record as a junior, is just six points away from breaking the program’s points record to highlight the position. She enters her final season with 216 career goals, 49 assists, 265 points, 148 ground balls, 100 caused turnovers and 277 draw controls. PSAC East Freshman of the Year Hannah Schiemer looks to build off her rookie campaign that saw her score 32 goals and 35 points. Campbell Heller registered 22 goals at the position, while Lauren Hallman notched 13 goals. Senior Olivia Chory and junior Mac Maloney return after missing significant time due to injury. Mia LaBarca and Lauren Waite both return, while freshmen Julianna Callison and Alexis Neumen join the unit.

Defenders: A pair of senior captains in Jameson Kernaghan and Olivia Wenrich anchor the defense, with Wenrich earning IWLCA All-Region Second Team honors. The two veterans, along with fellow senior Claire Hoffman have combined for 132 ground balls and 68 caused turnovers in their careers. Jocelyn Smestad, an NCAA Division I transfer from Presbyterian, looks to make an impact after an injury a season ago. Junior Taylor Vara and sophomore Kenna Price are also back, while ESU brought in a trio of freshmen in Molly Atwell, Sydney Jarka and Lindsay Langella. 

Goalkeepers: The Warriors will have to replace IWLCA All-America Second Team goalkeeper Riley DiFiore in the cage. Bella Gismondi returns to the squad, who holds a 6-0 career record with a 5.48 goals against average and a .535 save percentage in 438 minutes during her career. ESU also added UMBC transfer Abby Simonetti and freshman Rachael Zabko at the position.

The Coaching Staff: The Warriors are led by ESU alumna Xeni Barakos-Yoder in her ninth season at the helm. She has led the program to new heights, taking ESU to all six of its NCAA Tournaments, capturing two PSAC titles (2017, 2022) and three NCAA Atlantic Region championships (2018, 2021-22). She enters her ninth season with a career record of 101-29 and needs just six wins to surpass the all-time wins leader in current ESU field hockey head coach Sandy Miller 106 wins. Rachel Ward enters her fifth season as an assistant coach in 2024. She led ESU to an 8-2 record as interim head coach for the first 10 games of 2023, before Barakos-Yoder rejoined ESU after welcoming her second child. Ward was named the IWLCA Division II Outstanding Assistant Coach in 2022.

Schedule: ESU boasts a challenging 2024 schedule, with scheduled contests against four nationally-ranked teams for a total of eight games.  The Warriors are home for the first five games of the season, welcoming Jefferson (March 2), Roberts Wesleyan (March 5), No. 4 Adelphi (March 9) and Mercyhurst (March 16), before its PSAC East opener against Millersville (March 20). The Warriors’ first road game is against the defending national champion in Pace (March 23), before welcoming reigning national runner-up West Chester (March 27) to Whitenight Field. After trips to Shepherd (March 30) and Bloomsburg (April 3), ESU hosts Shippensburg on Senior Day on April 6. The road Warriors then head to Kutztown (April 10) and Millersville (April 13) to open the second half of conference play. After taking on Shepherd at home, ESU ventures to West Chester (April 24) and Shippensburg (April 27), before closing the regular season with home contests against Bloomsburg (May 1) and Kutztown (May 4). 

Following the PSAC quarterfinal round (May 7), the top remaining seed in the PSAC West will host the PSAC Tournament semifinals (May 10) and championship game (May 12). 

ESU hopes to hear its name called during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show for the seventh consecutive season on May 12, with the NCAA First Round (May 17) and NCAA Atlantic Region Championship (May 19) hosted at a campus site. Following the regional championship round, four teams head to Winter Park, Fla. for the NCAA Semifinals (May 23) and NCAA Championship Game (May 25) at Showalter Field. 

ILWomen / IWLCA Top- 25

RV: Florida Tech, Saint Leo, Palm Beach Atlantic, Mercyhurst, Lander

USA Lacrosse Top-20

Also considered (alphabetical order): Bentley, Colorado Mesa, IUP, Missouri Western, Molloy

PSAC Preseason Poll: ESU was predicted to finish second in the PSAC East Preseason Coaches Poll, with West Chester claiming six first-place votes.

PSAC EAST PRESEASON POLL

1. West Chester (6)
2. East Stroudsburg (1)
3. Kutztown
4. Millersville
5. Bloomsburg
6. Shepherd
7. Shippensburg
    

PSAC WEST PRESEASON POLL

1. Seton Hill (4)
2. IUP (3)
3. Slippery Rock
4. Mercyhurst
5. Lock Haven
6. Gannon
7. Edinboro