EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The ESU women's lacrosse team didn't miss a beat as they took care of business against the fourth-seeded Lock Haven Bald Eagles, defending home turf in a 21-6 win.
NOTABLES
- Ariana Tucci led the team in goals, potting a game-high five. It was her 12th game of the season with at least three goals.
- Paige Moreland stood out as ESU's top scorer, finishing with four assists and a pair of goals. She's now dished out the fourth-most assists in a season, recording 45 through 18 games.
- Jolee Roth, Lauren Hallman, and Sadie Kauffman all had hat tricks, with Roth and Kauffman putting up stats as passers as well. Roth's day featured a pair of assists, ground balls, and caused turnovers, while Hallman secured three ground balls. Kauffman broke her own record of 14 draw controls in a game, coming up with 15 today.
- Abby Simonetti shut the door on the Bald Eagles in the first half, holding them to one goal as she made four stops.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- ESU looked like the No. 4 team in the country from the opening draw, coming out of the gate strong and never looking back. Tucci and Roth scored the first two goals of the game, though Lock Haven's Makayla Kelly made it 2-1 with 11:25 remaining in the opening frame.
- From that point on, ESU scored 12 straight goals to complete a dominant first half. Tucci finished her hat trick by the end of the first quarter, as Roth scored one more time, and Kauffman found Moreland to make it 6-1 at the end of the first quarter.
- Kauffman got going in the second, scoring two of ESU's first three goals of the period. ESU continued to have success moving the ball and finding the open player, as Tucci and Katie Bullen both scored on assisted goals. Hannah Schiemer found the back of the net with a little over four minutes remaining, and ESU's last tally of the half came off Kauffman's third goal after a nice find from Courtney Reynolds.
- Trailing 14-1 coming out of the break, the Bald Eagles outscored ESU in the third quarter, 4-3. Gabby Gunnip scored a pair of goals early, and Makayla Kelly and Maddy Raspen scored two more late to get the deficit closer to single digits. However, ESU kept pace with Lock Haven just enough in the third with goals from Tucci, Hallman, and Moreland to keep it a 12-goal game heading into the final 15 minutes.
- The Warriors put the game away with the first four goals of the quarter, pushing their lead to 16. Roth and Moreland were scoring and passing well all day from behind the goal line, working together for the frame's first goal. Izzie Mintz converted Moreland's fourth assist of the day to make it 19-5, then Schiemer cashed in on a free-position attempt with six minutes left. ESU's last goal of the day came from Jamie Butt, though Lock Haven would score once more late to make the final score 21-6.
GAME NOTES
- After setting the single-game record for draw controls with 14 against Shippensburg three games ago, Kauffman did it again with 15 today. She accounted for 68.2% of the Warriors' draw controls as a team, going on a stretch across the first and second quarters where she recorded seven straight.
- The Warriors have now broken their program record for most goals in a season, averaging 19.1 GPG as they've scored 343 in 18 games. The previous record was 328 goals set in 2022, when ESU went 20-2 and averaged 14.9 GPG
- The win marks ESU's most goals scored in a PSAC Tournament game and the Warriors' largest margin of victory in the postseason as well. ESU defeated Bloomsburg, 18-7, in 2021, and had another 11-goal win in a 13-2 victory over Mercyhurst in 2022.
AROUND THE CONFERENCE
#3E Kutztown def. #2 Seton Hill; 19-6
#1W Slippery Rock def. #4 Shippensburg; 17-8
#2E West Chester def. #3W Indiana (Pa.); 20-6
UP NEXT
With the semifinal field set and Slippery Rock as the lone PSAC West team remaining, the final two rounds of the PSAC Tournament will be held at Slippery Rock on Friday, May 1, and Sunday, May 3. ESU will take on Kutztown, with Slippery Rock hosting West Chester on the other side of the bracket.
