EAST STROUDSBURG – With the game tied at 2-2 and 9:21 remaining in the first quarter, the No. 4/5 East Stroudsburg University lacrosse team surged ahead with 13 unanswered goals to cruise to a 19-6 victory over Mercyhurst on Saturday afternoon at Whitenight Field.
With the victory, the Warriors (4-0) extend their winning streak to four to start the season. The Lakers (1-3) dropped their second straight contest, following an 11-7 win over Georgian Court.
ESU Offensive Notables
- Emily Mitarotonda led the Warriors with four goals and two assists for a game-high six points. The Rockaway, N.J. native now has 20 goals and five assists for 25 points in just four games this season. In 62 career games, the Warriors' all-time leader in goals and points now has 236 career goals and 54 assists for 290 points.
- UAlbany transfer Courtney Reynolds added five points with a hat trick and a pair of assists.
- Mary Fitzsimmons and Jolee Roth both tallied four points on a goal and distributed three assists each.
- Sophia Graffeo and Campbell Heller both fired in three goals in hat-trick performances. Hannah Schiemer contributed two goals, while Lauren Hallman and Lauren Waite both found the back of the cage. Paige Moreland distributed two assists to round out the 10 Warriors who registered at least one point.
- On draws, Alexis Neumen secured five draw controls, while Mitarotonda scooped four.
- The Warriors led 30-21 on shots, 27-17 on shots on goals and 18-9 on draw controls.
- The Warriors offense recorded a season-high 19 goals. The 19 goals are the most since posting 20 goals against Shippensburg in a 20-7 win on April 2, 2022 at Whitenight Field.
- Mitarotonda leads the PSAC with 5.00 goals per game this season and points per game with 6.25. She ranks third in caused turnovers per game (3.50) and 10th in draw controls per game (4.50).
ESU Defensive Notables
- GK Abby Simonetti (W, 3-0) picked up her third consecutive victory in the cage for ESU, making a team-high five saves while allowing just two goals in 30 minutes of action. Rachael Zabko made four saves while allowing two goals in the third quarter. Bella Gismondi closed the action with 15 minutes in the fourth quarter, allowing a pair of goals, while making two stops.
- Along with five points, Courtney Reynolds caused two turnovers and scooped two ground balls. Five additional Warriors caused a single turnover.
- Claire Hoffman was a vacuum, sweeping up a team-high four ground balls. Roth added three GBs.
- ESU led 11-8 in saves and 8-4 on caused turnovers. Both squads scooped 21 ground balls each.
Mercyhurst Notables
- Emma Cimino led the Lakers with four goals. Marlee Antinora added three points on a goal and two assists. Whitely Easton totaled two assists, while Alex Finocchario also found the back of the cage.
- GK Paige Maneri suffered the loss for Mercyhurst, allowing 19 goals while making eight saves.
How It Happened
- The Lakers initially held momentum, with Cimino finding the twine for the first goal of the game just under a minute into the contest. Schiemer and Mitarotonda struck for back-to-back goals, just under five minutes in the game.
- Mercyhurst tied the game at 2-2 with Cimino's second goal of four goals in the contest. The Warriors finished the first quarter on a 5-0 run and continued the run in the second quarter with eight straight goals in the game-altering 13-0 surge.
- During the scoring spree, Mitarotonda, Graffeo, Reynolds scored three goals, while Heller totaled two goals. Schiemer and Fitzsimmons both accounted for a goal in the run.
- In the second half with the game in-hand, both teams recorded two goals in both quarters for the final score of 19-6.
Up Next
- The Warriors open their PSAC East slate on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. at Whitenight Field against Millersville (2-2).
