EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The ESU women's lacrosse team had a successful conference home opener against Bloomsburg, defeating the Huskies 19-6 on Wednesday afternoon. The Warriors improved to 8-0 overall and 3-0 in-conference.
NOTABLES
- ESU's scoring depth showed out today, as the Warriors had six players score two or more goals. Paige Moreland and Sadie Kauffman led the team with four apiece, each also recording an assist. Kauffman also finished with a season-high nine draw controls, her seventh game in a row with at least six.
- Katie Bullen and Ariana Tucci each recorded hat tricks. Tucci had a complete game, recording two caused turnovers, two ground balls, and a draw control. Bullen was solid defensively as well, causing a turnover and picking up a ground ball.
- Lauren Hallman and Julianna Callison had a pair of goals, while Izzie Mintz also added a tally. Hallman finished with an assist and a ground ball, while Callison's two goals were a season-high for the junior.
- Jolee Roth was the Warriors' best distributor, finishing with five points all from assists. Her second-most assists in a game this season, it was also her fifth game of at least five points.
- Molly Atwell was everywhere on the defensive end for ESU, racking up multiple caused turnovers and ground balls. She's now had back-to-back games with four caused turnovers, securing three ground balls, and coming away with a draw control today, too.
- ESU used three different goalies during the game, as Abby Simonetti, Madison McBride, and Rachael Zabko all logged time between the pipes. McBride finished with all three saves for the Warrior goalkeepers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Warriors wasted no time jumping out in front, scoring 11 seconds into the game. Kauffman got the draw control and was off to the races, sprinting by the Huskies' defense and beating the goalie for the early goal.
- ESU built up an insurmountable lead after a dominating stretch in the first. Starting with Hallman converting on a free position attempt and ending with a goal from Moreland immediately off a draw control, ESU scored seven times in the span of 3:32 to take an 8-0 lead with 8:13 left in the quarter.
- The Warriors hit 10 goals early in the second quarter, immediately increasing their lead to 10 within the next minute. ESU put up four more tallies from Hallman, Mintz, Kauffman, and Bullen, converting twice in a man-up situation, to take a 12-1 lead with 9:42 left before halftime. A Bloomsburg goal was bookended by two more Warriors' goals, giving ESU a 14-2 lead heading into the break.
- The Huskies struck first in the second half, but that's all the offense they would generate in the third quarter. Kauffman scored to restore the Warriors' 12-goal lead halfway through the frame, followed by Moreland and Tucci later in the quarter, making it 17-3 in favor of ESU. The double-digit lead would hold in the fourth, as ESU would go on to win 19-6.
GAME NOTES
- ESU's five goals while man-up was a season high for them. They've scored at least two in every game so far this season. The Warriors also went perfect on free position shots today, the second time this season they were 2-2.
- The Warriors' historic start continues through eight games. Already with the best offensive beginning to a season, their record climbed to an unblemished 8-0. It's now the fourth-longest streak overall and second-longest to start a season, trailing only the 2022 campaign in both categories.
UP NEXT
ESU looks to stay hot on the road, as the Warriors travel to Shippensburg this weekend to take on the Raiders at noon on Saturday, March 21.
