ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Warriors are back in the NCAA Tournament semifinals for the fifth time in program history, still looking for their first national championship. Two wins away from achieving that, No. 8 Maryville stands in the way, as ESU will take on the Saints at 7:30 p.m. from Judson Stadium on the campus of RIT.

SCOUTING EAST STROUDSBURG

• ESU is 20-1 heading into the semifinals, defeating West Chester and Kutztown to win the Atlantic Region Championship. The Warriors reached double-digit goal leads in both games, defeating West Chester 23-15 and Kutztown 18-12. 
• Last week, ESU had four All-American selections from USA Lacrosse Magazine and five All-Atlantic Region honorees from the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA). Sadie Kauffman, Molly Atwell, and Ariana Tucci were recognized by both organizations, as Abby Simonetti was the fourth All-American, and Jolee Roth and Lauren Hallman were named All-Region.
• The Warriors avenged their only loss of the season last weekend against Kutztown, bouncing back versus the Golden Bears in the 18-12 victory. Averaging 18.7 GPG, ESU has the highest scoring offense in Division II. The Warriors have only been held under 10 goals once this season, and have won their games by an average margin of 11.2 GPG.
• Sporting the most dangerous offense in Division II, ESU has two players each who rank top-15 nationally in goals and assists. Kauffman, the Division II scoring leader, paces the field with 106 goals and 138 points, while Ariana Tucci is 11th in Division II with 70 goals. Passing-wise, Paige Moreland and Roth are sixth and 11th, respectively, in assists. Moreland, with 55 assists this year, is six shy of tying the single-season record, while Roth only needs four to break the career assists record.
• On the other side of the field, the Warriors have turned to Madison McBride as their primary goalie. The sophomore had played roughly 38% of the team’s minutes in net heading into the NCAA Tournament, but has started the last two games and all but 8:29 in the Warriors’ second round game. She’s made seven stops in each of her two postseason starts and has a .479 SV% on the season.
• In front of her, the Warriors’ defense has been stingy on opposing offenses, allowing 7.5 GPG, the eighth-fewest in Division II. Atwell leads the team with 36 caused turnovers, while three additional defenders, Alexis Neumen, Katie Bullen, and Emily Varilla, each have 20 or more. 
• A facet of the Warriors’ defense that also contributes strongly to their success is their defense on clears. Though known more for their scoring, Kauffman and Roth rank top-six on the team in caused turnovers. While successfully clearing the ball at an 82.7% clip themselves, the Warriors limit opponents to a 70.3% success rate.

SCOUTING MARYVILLE

• The Saints entered the NCAA Tournament with a 14-4 record as the second seed in the Midwest Region, falling to Indianapolis twice, and Tampa and Florida Southern once each. The Greyhounds got the better of the Saints in the regular season and the GLVC Championship game, but Maryville defeated Rockhurst before securing the region championship against Indianapolis, 11-10.
• Maryville had three players, Helen Bae, Paige Murphy, and Haley Ritchie, named All-Americans by USA Lacrosse Magazine, while those three and Dorothy Fife, Natalie Tomlienovic, and Kylie Pettus earned All-Region from the IWLCA. 
• The Saints had six All-GLVC honorees, including Murphy, who was voted unanimously as the conference’s top attacker. Bae and Fife also earned First Team honors, while Ritchie was named to the Second Team. Devyn Dimovitz and Natalie Tomljenovic were recognized as honorable mentions. 
• Murphy and Kauffman have been competing for the goals crown all season long, as they're both tied with 106 on the year. Murphy’s been named the IWLCA Division II Player of the Week twice and ranks fourth in Division II with 126 points.
• Bae is the Saints’ all-time leading scorer in both goals and points. The four-year starter has scored 63 goals with 44 assists this season and has recorded 363 points during her career. 
• Murphy and Bae make up the majority of the Saints offense, as they’ve scored 50.3% of their goals and taken 51.0% of the team’s shots. After those two, Tomljenovic and Dimovitz follow up in scoring for Maryville. With 44 goals and 21 assists, Tomljenovic ranks third on Maryville in both categories, while Dimovitz is fourth with 36 goals and fifth with 19 assists.
• Additionally, on draws, Maryville also relies on its tandem of Murphy and Bae in that area, too. With Bae recording 102 controls and Paige securing 89, they make up 69.4% of their team’s draw controls.
• On the defensive side of the field, Gianna Guzek has been Maryville’s starting goalie all season. She’s started all 20 games for the Saints, posting a .420 SV% while allowing 8.99 goals per game. Though she hasn’t garnered postseason recognition, she was named the IWLCA’s Division II Defensive Player of the Week in mid-March. In both of the Saints’ wins in the NCAA Tournament, she’s made double-digit saves, giving her four games of such on the season.
• Two of Maryville’s top-four players in caused turnovers are attackers in Dimovitz, 28, and Murphy, 24. Looking at just defenders, Fife and Ritchie rank second and fourth with 25 and 23, respectively. Those two have anchored the Saints’ defense this season to allow 8.4 GPG, the 15th-fewest in Division II, while helping Marville win by 8.3 GPG, the seventh-best average margin.
• Back on offense, no team places more shots on goal per game in the country than Maryville. They average 27.9 SOG per game on 36.3 attempts per game. The only team in the country that shoots more frequently than the Saints is ESU. 
• The Saints have scored 74 free-position goals this season, 18 more than the Warriors. They’ve been the second-best team in Division II in that area as well in terms of efficiency, converting 61.2% of their attempts. The Warriors’ defense and goalkeeping on those plays have been top-notch, holding teams to a 32.9% conversion rate.
• Maryville is still a relatively new program, having had its first season in 2019. After a combined record of 7-31 in its first three full seasons, the Saints have gone 70-11 since 2023.

SERIES HISTORY

• This will be the first-ever meeting between ESU and Maryville in the Warriors’ fifth NCAA semifinal contest and the Saints’ first.