EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The PSAC Championship tournament is down to four teams remaining, as the top teams from the regular season standings are set to square off in the conference semifinals at Andre Reed Stadium at Kutztown University. After earning the first-round bye and advancing straight to the second round, the East Stroudsburg field hockey team will take on the Shippensburg Raiders at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7.
 
The Warriors finished the season with a 16-2 overall record and went 7-2 against PSAC opponents, including a 3-2 win over Shippensburg in mid-October. This is the 11th season in a row the Warriors have made the conference tournament, appearing in the semifinals every year, making the championship game six times, and winning four PSAC titles during that stretch. Against the Raiders, Shippensburg holds the historical advantage as ESU has an all-time record of 27-40-2 in the series. Over the last three seasons when the programs have played each other once in the regular season and met in the conference tournament, the team that won the first meeting also won the second game the previous two years. The two have played each other in the PSAC tournament five times total, with ESU winning three times since 2001. Three of the matchups have required overtime, including a double overtime finish two years ago in the finals.
 
Going into the PSAC Championships, head coach Sandy Miller said she feels the team is clicking at the right time gearing up for the final stretch.
 
"We're very pleased with what we've done," Miller said. "We lost a tough one in overtime to West Chester early in the season and lost a real tough one to Kutztown who's undefeated. So, we feel like we're in a good position right now. We're playing some good hockey, we've gotten some good wins, we're doing nice things. Right now, we're just trying to fine tune things and just keep getting better every day, challenge our team, and we're ready to go."
 
ESU started its season strong, opening on a seven-game win streak that featured ranked wins over 2024 national champions Saint Anselm, No. 5 Assumption, No. 9 Mansfield, and No. 10 Millersville. However, the Warriors hot start came to a halt after a two-game skid, losing games to West Chester and Kutztown. Instead of letting those results snowball and derail their season, East Stroudsburg responded with nine-straight wins to end the season, outscoring its opponents by 32 goals down that stretch.
 
Assistant coach Katie Ord referred to those two losses as a speedbump for the team, giving them an opportunity to grow as a team and improve because of it.
 
"There's a saying, you learn more from your losses [than you do from your wins]," Ord said. "It forced us to dig into the film, dig into what we're all about. What were we doing or not doing offensively and defensively? We focused on those fixes, and we learned so much from that. But [the losses] weren't deflating because we knew what we had accomplished leading up to that, opening up with two really strong conference opponents."
 
Part of what allowed the Warriors to rebound from those losses, as well as contend for the conference and national championships year-in and year-out, is the program's culture. Miller was a member of the NFHCA's Hall of Fame class of 2024, has accumulated a 530-294-11 career record, and helped bring two Division II and four PSAC championships back to East Stroudsburg over the last 10 years. In addition to the winning tradition established, there's also the aspects of accountability and camaraderie that Miller and Ord have built up that translates to success on the field.
 
"Day-in and day-out, we're here to work hard and have fun," Ord said. "When you have a culture and an environment where you have upperclassmen and returners that work hard, show grit, and have a good time, we all rally around that. It lends right into the next year, and then the next class of players that come in and succeed because of it."
 
This year's class of seniors began their careers on top, winning the PSAC and NCAA championships in 2022. With nine players remaining from that squad, the team hopes to give the group a send-off identical to how they came into the program.
 
"The team sets it every year, and we'd be upset if they didn't, but they want to win the conference and NCAA title," Miller said. "Those are our last goals, just because there are so many goals before that you need to accomplish to get to those final goals… There are no shortcuts to success… There's no place we'd rather be right now. We don't want the weekend off; we don't want to be one and done. We want to be playing in the conference semifinals, give it all we've got and get a chance for the conference finals, then we're hoping to get a call to go to the NCAA Tournament."
 
Most of the members of that class have stepped up for the Warriors as leaders on and off the field, earning national and conference honors throughout their careers. Midfielder Kerry Kaufman and defender Charlotte Simon earned Second Team All-American honors last year, and Bella Viruet was an All-PSAC Third Team selection. Offensively, the Warriors are led by senior forward Emma Friend and junior forward Minke Klijn, who both sit near the top of the conference leaderboard in points. Klijn finished as the second-highest scoring athlete in the PSAC, ending with 39 points on 17 goals and six assists, and Friend's breakout season put her at eighth in the conference with 30 points from 11 goals and eight assists.
 
However, Miller and Ord both said they think the strength of the team isn't necessarily the top-end talent they possess, but the depth throughout the roster.
 
"When you play a hockey game, you play 11 players, but we're playing 19," Miller said. "We have players coming off the bench, and a lot of times, we don't lose anything when they come off. They're almost starters out there… You don't get to 16-2 in this conference or be so successful if you just have three stars."
 
In the October meeting between the Warriors and Raiders, the game was nearly even across every box score stat. With Shippensburg coming into the game ranked one spot ahead of ESU in the NFHCA poll but the Warriors in front of the Raiders in the NCAA Regional poll, the game is billed as a heavyweight clash between two of the best teams in Division II field hockey. When it comes down to it though, Ord says the strategy is to continue doing what has gotten East Stroudsburg to this point.
 
"At the end of the day, it's always about fundamentals," Ord said. "We just have to do our job and each person on the team knows what they need to do. We'll do our scouting and know the tendencies of our opponent. But, to me, it always comes down to fundamentals. You've got to do it every single time without fail."
 
To be the best, you have to beat the best. The Warriors look to take down last year's PSAC champions and get back to the top of the conference, setting up a potential NCAA Tournament run. With a history of success this late in the season, Miller said the team embraces the expectations and pressure that comes with its reputation across the conference and country.
 
"We have a target on our back every single game," Miller said. "Teams are bringing their best, but in a way, it's really a pleasure to have that. Most teams would give anything to have that target on their back, to be that successful. So in a way, it's tough, but it's what we want and strive for."