EAST STROUDSBURG – After facing the defending national champion on Saturday, the No. 3/6 East Stroudsburg University lacrosse team battled national finalist No. 2/1 West Chester on Wednesday, falling 15-6 after a strong second half by WCU on a rainy afternoon at Whitenight Field.
The Warriors (5-2, 1-1 PSAC East) suffer its first conference loss, while the Golden Rams (7-0, 2-0 PSAC East) remain undefeated.
ESU closed the first quarter and opened the second quarter with a 3-1 surge to cut the deficit to one at 5-4, but the Golden Rams built an 8-5 halftime lead and outscored the Warriors, 7-1, in the second half for the final score of 15-6.
ESU Offensive Notables
- Emily Mitarotonda led ESU with four points, scoring a goal, while contributing three assists. She earned three draw controls.
- With her second of three assists, she became the first Warrior to reach 300 career points in program history. Mitarotonda is ESU's all-time leader in career goals (242) and points (301). She became ESU's all-time points leader against Adelphi on March 9th.
- Jolee Roth scored two goals, while Hannah Schiemer, Courtney Reynolds and Mac Maloney all found the back of the cage.
- Molly Atwell earned two draw controls.
ESU Defensive Notables
- Abby Simonetti made 15 saves in goal, after posting 18 against Pace on Saturday. The reigning PSAC East Athlete of the Week scooped five ground balls.
- Downingtown native Claire Hoffman caused three turnovers to lead the team.
- Mary Fitzsimmons scooped four ground balls.
WCU Notables
- Hannah Stanislawczyk tallied five points on four goals and an assist, causing four turnovers.
- Sydney Wasdick also registered four goals, while Piper Hammond and Kendall Fortune both scored two goals.
- Jessica Gorr made 10 saves, while allowing six goals in 60 minutes.
How It Happened
- WCU struck first, with Stanislawczyk scoring the first two goals of the contest.
- Schiemer answered to cut the deficit to 1, but the Golden Rams added a pair of goals to extend its advantage to 4-1. Mitarotonda led a 3-1 charge for ESU, scoring a goal while assisting Roth for her 300th career point. ESU trailed 5-4 with 14:01 remaining in the second quarter.
- The Golden Rams built an 8-5 halftime lead and outscored ESU, 7-1, in the second half to earn the 15-6 win.
Up Next
- ESU (5-2, 1-1 PSAC East) hits the road on Saturday, heading to West Virginia to face Shepherd (3-4, 1-2 PSAC East). Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. in Shepherdstown.
