EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The No. 14-ranked ESU women's lacrosse team began its season with a dominating win from start to finish over No. 17 Seton Hill, defeating the Griffins 16-3.
NOTABLES
- Sadie Kauffman, last year's PSAC East Freshman of the Year, couldn't be stopped, as she opened her season with a six-goal performance. The sophomore also recorded two draw controls, a ground ball, and a caused turnover.
- Two other Warriors recorded hat tricks, one being Ariana Tucci and the other Katie Bullen. Tucci finished the game with four points, tallying three goals and an assist. The junior also secured three ground balls and a draw control, forcing two turnovers as well. Bullen made her collegiate debut with three goals on five shots, with four on target. Bullen forced two turnovers and recorded two ground balls.
- Jolee Roth had a great game, consistently finding her open teammates and finishing with four assists and a goal for a five-point outing.
- Lauren Hallman and Paige Moreland had identical point totals, both scoring a goal and dishing out two assists. Moreland also secured five ground balls to round out her stat line.
- In net for ESU, Abby Simonetti shut the door on the Griffins after the first 20 minutes, allowing the Warriors to score 11 unanswered goals. The graduate student made seven saves in the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Tucci got the scoring started for ESU, cashing in on the Seton Hill yellow card just two minutes into the game. Later in the quarter, Tucci herself given a green card, and the Griffins evened it up. Two quick goals from Kauffman and Bullen put the Warriors back in front, but a late goal from Sydney Marusko, her second of the game, made it 3-2 after the first 15 minutes.
- Hannah Schiemer and Bullen both scored on man-advantages to open the second quarter and build up the Warriors' lead, though the Griffins got a goal back with 10 minutes remaining in the half. However, this would be the last goal Seton Hill would score for the rest of the game, as the Warriors controlled the field from this point on. Ending the half, Hallman fed Tucci in transition while man-down for a fastbreak goal, and Kauffman added another tally just 47 seconds later to make it 7-3 going into halftime.
- Coming out of the break, Kauffman would continue her day with two more goals in the first five minutes of the third, scoring three unassisted goals in a row. Eight minutes would pass before the Warriors' next goal, but Tucci and Kauffman both found the back of the net on individual efforts in the final three minutes of the quarter to make it 11-3.
- ESU's midfield defense made clearing the ball an issue for Seton Hill's defenders, and when the Griffins could get set up in the offensive zone, the Warriors' defense held strong. ESU forced numerous shot clock violations and turnovers, and Simonetti stood tall when the Griffins were able to get a look at the net.
- ESU built its lead to double digits early in the fourth quarter off goals from Kauffman and Bullen, and even extended beyond that as Roth, Moreland, and Hallman all got their first goals of the year to end the game.
UP NEXT
The Warriors return to Whitenight Field next week to host Bentley for their second game of the 2026 season, beginning at noon on Saturday, Feb. 21.
