About the Warriors: ESU closed the regular season with a 12-5, 8-4 PSAC East record, earning the third seed from the PSAC East in the PSAC Tournament. Among 108 NCAA DII teams, ESU ranks first in saves percentage and sixth in ground balls per game. Three-time IWLCA All-America selection Emily Mitarotonda ranks first nationally in free-position goals per game, fourth in goals per game, third in goals per game, fourth in goals and points per game, fifth in caused turnovers per game, eight in points and 14th in ground balls per game as one of the top players in all of NCAA Division II lacrosse. GK Abby Simonetti has been a brick wall this season, leading the nation in saves percentage, second in total saves, fifth in saves per game and 10th in goals-against average.
About the Golden Bears: Kutztown finished the 2024 regular season with a 13-4, 9-3 record in PSAC East contests, finishing one game ahead of ESU for the second seed in the PSAC East. The Golden Bears rank ninth in the country in both shots per game and ground balls per game, along with h11th in caused turnovers per contest. Emma Meakim paces the PSAC in assists with 42. Sam Graf is a force offensively and defensively with 64 goals, 82 points, 34 caused turnovers, 81 draw controls and 37 ground balls.
Against KU: In the most recent meeting on Saturday, ESU Trailed 9-7 in the fourth quarter, before the Warriors scored the final three goals over the final 9:35 of play to defeat Kutztown in an instant classic. Mitarotonda was involved in all three goals late, including her PSAC record 300th career goal which tied the game at 9-9. She assisted Sophia Graffeo for the game-winning goal. The Warriors fell in a tough 15-13 contest at Keystone Field in the first meeting of the season on April 10th. Mitarotonda has scored 11 goals and five assists for 16 points against Kutztown in two games this campaign. She has also led ESU defensively against the Golden Bears with seven ground balls, four draw controls and five caused turnovers.
Most Goals in PSAC History: Mitarotonda became the PSAC’s all-time career leader in goals against KU on Saturday, scoring her 300th goal to surpass West Chester’s Katelyn Martin (2003-06). The Rockaway, N.J. native now ranks third all-time in NCAA DII history, needing 11 goals to move into second place ahead of Hunter Isnardi (Mercy, 2016-19), who totaled 310 goals.
More Records: Mitarotonda is six goals away from breaking ESU’s single-season goals record for the third time in her career, currently sitting with 84 goals on the season. She totaled 89 goals in her sophomore season and saw the Warriors reach the NCAA Championship game. The sports marketing major is also four points away from breaking her own ESU single-season points record of 111, set in 2022.
Historic Performance: Defensively, junior goalkeeper Abby Simonetti stood on her head, making a remarkable 27 saves against Kutztown to keep ESU in the contest against the Golden Bears. Her 27 stops are the most by an NCAA DII goalkeeper this season and are third-most across all NCAA levels. It’s the most saves by a Warrior since 2006. Despite Kutztown totaling 17 more shots on goal than the Warriors, Simonetti’s 27 saves proved to be enough for the crucial win.
ESU in the PSAC Tournament: The Warriors seek their third PSAC title overall, hoisting the trophy in 2022 and in 2017. Overall, ESU holds a record of 9-11 in the PSAC Tournament since 1985. Since 2017, the Warriors are 5-5 in the conference tournament. ESU will seek revenge after falling to Kutztown, 12-9 in the PSAC Quarterfinal last season at Keystone Field.
What’s Next: The ESU-KU winner advances to the PSAC Tournament Semifinals against PSAC West No. 1 seed Seton Hill on Friday at 1:00 p.m. at Seton Hill’s Dick’s Sporting Goods in Greensburg, Pa. The PSAC Championship will take place on Sunday at Seton Hill.
