EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The Warriors are back in the PSAC semifinals for the 12th consecutive season after defeating West Chester on Tuesday, and now turn their attention to No. 2 Kutztown. They’ll face off at 2:30 p.m. on Friday at Shippensburg University for a spot in the conference championship.

SCOUTING EAST STROUDSBURG

• For ESU in the semifinals, it was the usual suspects leading the charge offensively to push the Warriors to the next round. Forward Rylie McGrath scored her team-leading 13th goal of the season, and forward Emily Dobrowolski netted her ninth of the year as the game-winning tally. The two forwards have 23 of ESU’s 54 goals, ranking fourth and ninth in the conference, respectively.
• Both goals were assisted as well, with midfielder Lisa Pasman and defender Piper Patrick getting credited with helpers in the First Round contest. ESU has 37 assists this season and is averaging 1.9 per game, the third-highest rate in the conference.
• The Warriors had to kill two green cards late in the game with the score tied, bringing their season total to 20. ESU has been called for the second-most green cards in the PSAC, averaging just over one per game.
• ESU outshot the Golden Rams 8-5, taking more attempts than its opponent for the 18th time this year. The Warriors have the second-most shots in the conference this season with 350, and average the third-most per game with 18.4. They put a little over half their shots on target, averaging 9.6 per game.
• Nothing changed from the Warriors’ strategy of playing both goalkeepers in their first postseason game, starting with Sydney Pope and closing with Jet Vermeulen. Over their last four games, both are averaging 2.8 saves per game, with Vermeulen keeping a clean sheet in her last three games played. They’ve helped the Warriors keep a team goals-against average below 1.0 per game, with their .74 being the third-lowest in the PSAC. Their combined .808 save percentage also ranks third in the conference, as one of four teams saving over 80% of shots on goal.

SCOUTING KUTZTOWN

• The Golden Bears spent a large chunk of the season as the top seed in the conference and Division II, but a late loss to Shippensburg bumped them down to second in the PSAC standings. With that being their lone loss, they’ve held on to the number one spot in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II Poll, earning seven of the eight first-place votes. 
• Since that defeat, they’ve bounced back with three straight wins to hold onto a top-two seed and earn a first-round bye in the conference tournament. The Golden Bears beat ESU, 3-2; Frostburg State, 3-0; and Bloomsburg, 4-1, to end the regular season. 
• Kutztown was the only team all year to outshoot ESU in a game, doing so handily. The Golden Bears outshot the Warriors 22-5 and held a 15-4 advantage in shots on goal as well. They’ve done that in every game this season, including both games against Shippensburg. 
• The Golden Bears are a well-disciplined team as well, with their seven total cards ranking as the fewest in the PSAC this season. They average 0.4 per game between six green cards and one yellow card.
• Kutztown’s offense is led by the second-leading scorer in the PSAC, Marissa Rice. The 2025 First Team All-American has scored 16 goals and has one assist this year, totaling 33 points. She’s scored on 39.0% of her shots, with 75.6% of her total attempts being on target.
• Alongside Rice in the midfield are Julia and Jessica Traynor. The tandem led the Golden Bears to their win over the Warriors earlier in October, combining for five points with two goals and an assist. Julia has seven goals and eight assists this season, while Jessica has four goals and a pair of assists.
• Up front for Kutztown at forward is Ellie Myers. Myers has the second-most points on the team behind Rice with 14 goals and an assist and registered an assist against ESU.
• Kutztown has a star-studded back line of Rachel Galasso, Marlee Fetrow, and Olivia Kirkpatrick in front of goalkeeper Lorelai Lehenky. The first two are in the midst of breakout campaigns for the Golden Bears, making significant contributions on both sides of the field. Galasso and Fetrow are third and fifth, respectively, in scoring on the team, accounting for 28 and 18 points. Kirkpatrick is the reigning PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Year, starting all 39 games at Kutztown after transferring in from Liberty. Lehenky has taken over the net for the Golden Bears this season, starting every game and only giving up six goals all season. However, her two against ESU were the most in a game this season, and only the second time in 29 career games she’s allowed multiple goals.  

SERIES HISTORY

• Over the last five meetings, the series between ESU and Kutztown has gone the Golden Bears’ way. Kutztown has come out on top in four of the last five, although ESU’s win during this stretch came in the PSAC Semifinals at Shippensburg. McGrath scored the Warriors’ second goal of the game in the 2-0 win.
• ESU is 33-30-2 against the Golden Bears going back to 1980, including a 3-2 advantage over Kutztown in the postseason. When playing at a neutral site, ESU is 2-1, with all three games coming in the last seven seasons.