EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — After back-to-back upset victories, the ESU men's soccer team advanced to the PSAC Championship for the first time since 2017. The Warriors host the Gannon Golden Knights at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Eiler-Martin Stadium. 

SCOUTING EAST STROUDSBURG
•    In the two tournament games, ESU shut out each opponent in low-scoring affairs. With 1-0 wins over Lock Haven and Millersville, two teams that averaged 1.8 and 2.1 goals per game, respectively, the Warriors' defense has proven to be a powerful force. Allowing just 1.2 goals per game over the course of the season, ESU posts the fourth-best defense in the conference 
•    While the defense continues to thrive, the Warriors have kept playing offense at their own pace. Though they only have one multi-goal game out of the last five, they've also scored in each of the last three contests.  This can be attributed to ESU's constant attack that posts 13.7 shots per game, the fourth-best in the conference. Though accuracy continues to be a struggle, getting less than 30% of shots on goal in both playoff matchups, the Warriors' 30 goals on the season are the fourth-most in the PSAC. 
•    A large part of that offense has been midfielder Owen Rennie, who scored Wednesday's game-winning penalty kick. It was the second time he's delivered a game-winner from the same situation this year. The sophomore has put up 42 shots throughout the season, leading the Warriors and ranking fifth in the conference with 2.5 shots per game. Totaling three goals and four assists, Rennie has held a key offensive role for ESU. 
•    The other postseason scorer for the Warriors is forward Jeter Cardona. The sophomore recorded his fourth game-winning goal of the year against Lock Haven. In addition to his scoring ability, Cardona leads ESU in assists. His five lead the PSAC East and are fifth in the entire conference. 
•    Also strengthening the attack for the Warriors is forward Steven Arias. In his first campaign at ESU, the junior stands at No. 5 in the conference in goals with eight and No. 8 in points. Arias has been held scoreless in the last five games, but averages 2.8 shots and one shot on goal in that stretch. 
•    One of the many players holding it down on defense is goalkeeper Phil Sykes. The junior averages the second-fewest goals against him in the conference, 0.9, while saving 78.8% of shots that come his way, the third-best of the conference. In both stats, Sykes ranks in the top 35 of the NCAA. Against Millersville, Sykes earned his seventh solo shutout of the year, tying him for third in ESU's single-season record list.  

SCOUTING GANNON
•    The Golden Knights have imposed their offense on teams both in the regular season and the playoffs. Against Shepherd's third-best defense in the conference, Gannon raked in two goals and then repeated that performance facing Seton Hill in the semifinals. That marked the 14th time the Golden Knights scored multiple times in a contest, with a best of nine against Pitt-Johnstown. 2.6 goals per game ranks Gannon No. 8 in the country on the 17th-highest accuracy at 49.8%. 
•    On the other side of the ball, Gannon allows 1.3 goals per game, sixth in the conference while averaging four saves, fifth-most in the PSAC. The Golden Knights have only shut out four opponents this season, two of which were in-conference. Gannon has the 16th-best goal differential in the country with 25.
•    Rafa Hyde is the Golden Knights' leading scorer, sitting at No. 9 in the NCAA with 15 goals this year. Three of those were game winners, with the latest being his goal in the quarterfinal round against Shepherd. The senior leads the conference in both goals per game, 0.8, and points per game, 1.8. On 58 total shots, he's put the ball on target 48.3% of the time. 
•    Gannon's second-best scorer is Per Kristian Lauvstad. The junior would be the second-most accurate shooter in the conference, being on target 53.6% of the time, but he fails to meet the two shots per game minimum. Lauvstad also scored in the Shepherd game with three shots on goal. However, both Hyde and Lauvstad were held scoreless by Seton Hill.
•    Jensen Peake was the one in that game to seal the deal, doing so on a penalty kick in the 75th minute. The defender has tallied 11 assists on the season, matching third in the league. Peake has also been very accurate, putting 10 of his 15 shots on goal. He's one of four Golden Knights to start in all 19 games.
•    Sophomore Ivan Capurro has served as Gannon's primary goalie, starting nine games and playing 868 minutes. In that time, he's faced 133 shots and recorded saves on 45 of them. Capurro's 4.5 saves per game ranks fourth in the conference. Capurro has recorded just three shutouts this year, allowing an average of 1.3 shots to find the net.

SERIES HISTORY
•    ESU and Gannon faced off in the second game of the season, where the Warriors fell 5-2 on the road. In the contest, five different Golden Knights brought in goals, while it was Rennie and forward Bat-Od Buman-Uchral scoring for East Stroudsburg. 
•    Gannon holds the edge in all-time matchups, taking 12 wins while the Warriors have won eight, with two draws between the two. Before this year's game, ESU had won three straight games over the Golden Knights.
•    The last time the teams faced off in the playoffs was nine years ago, when the Warriors bested the Gannon 1-0 to win their latest conference championship. It's the only time the two have ever met in the conference playoffs.