Champion Scholar: Samantha Peters, Bloomsburg
Release
PSAC Championship
East Stroudsburg captures first PSAC Field Hockey Crown
East Stroudsburg, Pa. – East Stroudsburg captured their first PSAC Field Hockey Championship on Saturday afternoon, defeating Millersville by a score of 1-0.
The Warriors got on the board at the 10:22 mark of the first half when the team was awarded a penalty corner. ESU’s
Rebecca Snyder put the ball in play to
Marisa Miro, who then shot the ball past the Millersville keeper.
Millersville dominated the game, outshooting the Warriors 6-3 for the game and 3-0 in the second half. The Marauders also had an 8-3 advantage on penalty corners.
This was the Marauders fourth straight PSAC Championship game, winning the Championship in 2013 and finishing as runner-ups in 2012, 2014 and 2015.
East Stroudsburg’s
Emily Howell was named the PSAC MVP. Howell was named to the First Team All-Conference earlier in the week.
The NCAA Division II field hockey selection show will air live on NCAA.com on November 9 at 1:00 PM
Boc Score
East Stroudsburg Recap
Millersville Recap
PSAC Seminfinals
No. 2 Millersville Defeats No. 6 Bloomsburg, 1-0
East Stroudsburg, Pa.- Millersville needed only 56 seconds to score the games only goal, in a 1-0 win over Bloomsburg Tuesday afternoon.
Margaret Thorwart scored the Marauders only goal, when the team was awarded a penalty stroke.
Millersville's topped ranked defense did the rest, holding the Huskies to only one shot for the game.
The Marauders move on to the their fourth consecutive PSAC Championship game on Sunday afternoon.
Box Score
Millersville Recap
Bloomsburg Recap
No. 1 East Stroudsburg Downs No. 5 West Chester 3-1
East Stroudsburg, Pa.- No. 1 East Stroudsburg defeated No. 5 West Chester in the second semifinal Tuesday afternoon to advance to their third PSAC Championship game Sunday afternoon.
The Warrriors got on the board in the 14th minute of the first half with a goal from
Rebecca Snyder.
West Chester tied the game right before half time with a gold from
Alayna Brown.
East Stroudsburg then took the lead for good 15 minutes into the second half when
Paige Harrold knocked one into the net.
Marisa Miro added the insurance goal five minutes later for the final score of 3-1.
East Stroudsburg advances to the PSAC Championship game Sunday afternoon where they will face Millersville. The teams split two games this season with both games ending in 1-0 decisions.
The Championship game time is set for 1:00 PM.
Box Score
East Stroudsburg Recap
West Chester Recap
CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
No. 1 East Stroudsburg vs. No. 5 West Chester: Live Stats
No. 2 Millersville vs. No. 6 Bloomsburg: Live Stats
East Stroudsburg, Pa. - The PSAC Field Hockey Championship again features a stacked field, with the top three teams in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFCHA) Poll appearing in the tournament. East Stroudsburg hosts the tournament and is ranked first in the country, while the number two seed Millersville is ranked second in the country. As the first two seeds, ESU and Millersville each received byes in the first round of the tournament.
Despite being the fifth seed in the tournament, West Chester in currently third in the country. Bloomsburg does not appear in the rankings, but upset Shippensburg in the PSAC Quarterfinals, and that Raider squad is ranked fifth in Division II.
The Huskies will look to record another upset in the PSAC Semifinals, facing the defending national champion Marauders. It could be a low-scoring affair, as BU’s goalkeeper Lindsay Cassel was named Second Team All-PSAC, and Millersville boasts an impressive defense. Millersville has only allowed seven goals all season, for an average of .34 goals per game, easily the best in the country. Millersville also had nine players named all-conference, most in the PSAC. This group is highlighted by three first team performers: Aliza Mizak, Lauren Gerhart, and Taylor Parker. Mizak was also named the PSAC Freshman of the Year.
Bloomsburg upset Shippensburg on Tuesday behind goals from Sam Peters, Jackie Shragher, and Laura Gerhard. Peters led the team in shots and shots on goal and was named Third Team All-PSAC.
When these two teams met back on October 17, Millersville won 1-0.
Contrarily, the WCU/ESU matchup will feature the two top scoring teams in the conference. West Chester averages 3.61 goals per game, while East Stroudsburg averages 3.11 goals per game. The Golden Rams are coming into this game after defeating Kutztown 6-1 in the quarterfinals. WCU has scored at least four goals in five of its last six games. In their meeting this year, East Stroudsburg won 4-0.
West Chester’s Rachal Toppi and Dayle Paustian each ranked in the top five in the country in goals per game and are second and third, respectively, in the league in points per game. The Golden Rams also feature the PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Year in Kristna Scherrer.
East Stroudsburg’s attack will be led by first team all-conference performer Ally Roth. Roth is third in the country in goals per game (1.06), and is one of three Warriors represented on the First Team All-PSAC squad. She is joined by teammates Desiraye Mack and Emily Howell.
PSAC QUARTERFINALS
West Chester Impresses with 6-1 Win
Kutztown, Pa. - West Chester came into Tuesday’s quarterfinal game ranked third in the country, but holding just the number five seed in the PSAC. The Golden Rams led the whole way and earned a 6-1 victory.
Alexis Versak and Marnie Kusakavitch each scored two goals from the Golden Rams.
Rachal Toppi recorded her 20th goal of the season, marking the second time she’s reached that milestone in her two years on campus.
West Chester outshot Kutztown 38-4 in the contest.
The Golden Rams are the defending PSAC Champions and will face the top-seeded East Stroudsburg Warriors on Friday. The Warriors were one of the three regular season losses for WCU.
Box Score
West Chester Recap
Kutztown Recap
Bloomsburg Upsets Shippensburg, 3-2
Shippensburg, Pa. - Just three days ago, Bloomsburg fell to Shippensburg in the final regular season game of the year, 3-0. The Huskies avenged that loss in the PSAC Tournament, earning a 3-2 victory 22 seconds into overtime.
Sam Peters score the game-winner just 22 seconds into the extra frame, getting the assist from Tali Wehner on a two-on-one breakaway.
Laura Gerhard and Jackie Shragher also scored goals in the win for BU.
The two teams each had 12 shots in the game.
The Huskies will face the defending national champions from Millersville on Friday in the PSAC Semifinals.
Box Score
Bloomsburg Recap
Shippensburg Recap