EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — The ESU field hockey team began the 2026 season in dominating fashion, opening the year with a 10-0 win over St. Thomas Aquinas.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Eight different players found the back of the net for the Warriors, and 14 registered at least one point. Leading the way was senior F Rylie McGrath, who scored twice and tallied an assist. Also adding a pair of goals was freshman F Emily Dobrowolski, scoring twice with three shots on goal in her collegiate debut.
- Two more freshmen also scored their first goals, F Marley Dutch and M Brooke Wasson. Dutch's goal came on her lone shot on goal, while Wasson finished with four attempts, three of which were on target.
- Sophomore F Lisa Pasman, junior M Megan Rafter, junior F Sydney Frantz, and sophomore F Nicole Conklin were the other goal scorers for the Warriors. Seven different players factored in on goals with an assist, with fifth-year M Elaiana Rivera-Lagalla being the only one to finish with two helpers.
- All three goalies on the roster got on the field, with senior Sydney Pope getting credit for the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After an early goal from Rafter just under three minutes into the game, the score remained 1-0 for the rest of the first quarter. It wasn't from a lack of chances or pressure, as the Warriors took 17 shots. The scoring broke open immediately once the second quarter began, as McGrath scored off Rivera-Lagalla's second assist of the game.
- Over the final 5:23 of the first half, the Warriors jumped out to a 7-0 lead with a flurry of five goals going into the break. Both transfers, senior F Reagan Kunkle and junior M Alex Bandura, recorded their first assists with ESU, with Kunkle assisting Conklin and Bandura finding McGrath. Dobrowolski scored back-to-back goals just 44 seconds apart, and Pasman's goal 49 seconds before the break was the last one for the Warriors.
- ESU kept attacking in the third quarter before dropping back defensively for the fourth, adding its final three goals in that frame. Frantz' goal came after Dutch's tally and Wasson's goal, with Allyson Mitchell assisting her for her first career point. The Warriors only attempted one shot in the last 15 minutes, maintaining possession and playing defensively.
GAME NOTES
- ESU prevented St. Thomas Aquinas from attempting a shot, outshooting the Spartans 51-0. 30 of the Warriors' attempts were on goal.
- HC Katie Ord became the fourth coach in program history to win their first game with the Warriors. She joined Mary Jane Zimmerman (1959), Anne Venzia (1960), and Chris Albright (1964) as the other three coaches to do so in the Warriors' 11-coach history.
UP NEXT
The Warriors start the year with three home games, entering the middle of their homestand with a game against No. 7 Assumption next. The next contest starts at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 6, at Whitenight Field.
