KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The No. 10 ESU women's lacrosse team kicked off conference competition on Wednesday afternoon, defeating the No. 17 Kutztown Golden Bears 16-6.
NOTABLES
- Sadie Kauffman dominated play against the Golden Bears, scoring the most goals and recording the most assists across both teams with five each. It's the sophomore's third game of 10 or more points in six games this season, and she also recorded at least six draw controls for the fifth-straight game this year.
- Ariana Tucci and Lauren Hallman each finished with four goals. Tucci took a game-high 15 shots, finishing with one caused turnover and three ground balls. Hallman added a draw control and a ground ball to her stat line, placing five of her six shots on frame.
- Izzie Mintz had a career-high three-point game in the win, scoring once and assisting twice. The freshman has now scored six points in her last three games.
- Alexis Neumen had a great day on draws, finishing with seven to lead all players. She finished one shy of tying her career-high, recording at least seven draw controls for the third time in her career.
- Abby Simonetti shut the door on the Golden Bears in the second half, keeping them scoreless for the final 25:23 of the game and ending with nine saves.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- ESU got on the board quickly in the first, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead. At the top of the arc, Tucci and Kauffman executed a give-and-go, creating space for Tucci to cut and shoot just over a minute into the game. Shortly after, Kauffman dodged and drove, burying the shot to put the Warriors up by a pair four minutes in.
- Kutztown scored before and after Mintz's tally to make it 4-3, but ESU ended the first quarter on a strong note. Hallman converted a free position attempt with 1:30 left, and a minute later, the Warriors struck again. Kauffman secured a loose on the left side of the goal line, hitting Roth as she began to wrap around the crease. After drawing the defender, she moved it to an open Katie Bullen at the net front to end the first quarter, leading 5-2.
- Two quick goals in succession pushed the lead to five in the opening minute of the second. Hallman scored a man-up goal off a Kauffman assist, and the latter secured the ensuing draw control and flew by defenders all the way to the net for the second tally. Kutztown would score the next two goals to return its deficit back to three, but the Warriors outscored the Golden Bears 3-1 going into halftime. Tucci cleaned up a free position shot that went off the post for ESU's next goal, followed by Kauffman taking it herself again to go up 9-4. With just over a minute left in the half, Kauffman moved it to Roth, who was just above the goal line, and fired a shot in the top left corner to go into the break with a 10-5 advantage.
- It was a quiet third quarter, as each team only scored once. The Golden Bears got the first goal of the second half, cashing in on a man-up opportunity with 10:23 remaining in the frame. A couple of minutes later, the Warriors found themselves with the man-advantage, as Kauffman scored off a free position attempt.
- ESU has been clinical all season in fourth quarters, and today was no different. Going into the final frame with an 11-6 lead, the Warriors doubled the margin by shutting out Kutztown in the last 15 minutes. ESU got goals from Tucci, Hallman, Kauffman, and Tucci again, before Hallman's final tally gave the Warriors a 16-6 double-digit win.
GAME NOTES
- As a defensive unit, the Warriors limited Kutztown to its fewest goals and shots (20) in a game all season. Additionally, Katie Yocum, Kutztown's second leading scorer and the USA Lacrosse Division II Athlete of the Week, was held scoreless, only taking three shot attempts.
- ESU has now started 6-0 for the third time ever. The previous two seasons were 2022, when the Warriors finished 20-2, and 2014, wrapping up that season with an 8-9 record. Additionally, ESU has won all six of its games by double-digit goals, the longest such streak in program history
UP NEXT
The Warriors head back out on the road this weekend, continuing conference play against Millersville. ESU takes on the Marauders at noon on Saturday, March 14, in Millersville, Pa.
