SEMIFINALS
***Courtesy of Connor Glunt, East Stroudsburg's Director of Athletic Communications***
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The ESU women's lacrosse team's historic season came to a close in the NCAA Tournament semifinals on Thursday night, falling to No. 8 Maryville, 15-11.
NOTABLES
- Sadie Kauffman led the Warriors on offense, scoring four goals, all unassisted. In the midfield, she came up with 12 draw controls, her fourth game of the season with double-digit draws.
- Courtney Reynolds stepped up for the Warriors, scoring a hat trick. After missing ESU's last three games, she delivered with her second three-goal game of the season, scoring on eight shots.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Saints pressed the Warriors right out of the gate, jumping out to a 3-0 lead. ESU had possession before each of the goals, but gave it away to Maryville for each of its possessions.
Lauren Hallman got the Warriors on the board halfway through the frame, dodging down the right alley and putting it past Gianna Guzek.
Turnovers continued to plague ESU, as Maryville would cause two more, leading to another two goals to end the quarter. Things continued to go the Saints' way, as Devyn Dimovitz scored the first goal of the second quarter to put Maryville up 6-1. Kauffman stopped Maryville's run with her first goal of the day, and Reynolds scored one minute later, cutting the deficit to three.
The Saints would get one back, but Kauffman and Reynolds each scored again, making it 7-5 with 7:44 remaining in the half. Now trailing two, the Warriors had possession in the attacking end. However, another turnover came back to bite the Warriors, as Paige Murphy went on a breakaway, sparking a streak of three straight goals for the Saints, who went into halftime leading 10-5.
ESU got the start to the second half it needed, as Kauffman scored just 19 seconds in, dodging in from the left side of the field. The Saints had a response for just about every time momentum seemed to turn the Warriors' way, as ESU never scored more than two consecutive goals all game. Helen Bae and Paige Murphy, who combined for 12 of Maryville's 14 goals, scored the next two, putting the Saints up 12-6.
Over the next 15 minutes, ESU would continue to claw its way back, chipping away at Maryville's lead. Kauffman and Reynolds alternated goals again, and goalie
Madison McBride made a couple of standout saves on point-blank opportunities from both Bae and Murphy.
Katie Bullen also found the back of the net, though her tally was bookended by a pair of goals by Bae.
Trailing by five with nine minutes remaining,
Hannah Schiemer scored a pair of assisted goals that were helped by
Jolee Roth and
Paige Moreland, giving the Warriors one last push in a 14-11 game. ESU was unable to get any closer, as Bae put the game away with five minutes remaining, and Maryville held on to win, 15-11.
The Warriors finished the season with multiple individual record-breaking performances, as the team went 20-2, tying the most wins in program history.
QUARTERFINALS
East Stroudsburg defeats Kutztown, 18-12
East Stroudsburg is heading to Rochester, NY for the semifinals of the 2026 NCAA DII Women's Lacrosse Tournament after defeating Kutztown 18-12. Sadie Kauffman was on fire for the Warriors today finishing with nine goals and 14 draw controls for the Warriors. Ariana Tucci was also key to the ESU offensive contributing four goals and three draw controls. Defensivley, Kauffman caused three turnovers and picked up five ground balls, while goalie Madison McBride totaled seven saves. The Warriors await the time and oppenent for their next game.
SECOND ROUND
East Stroudsburg defeats West Chester, 23-15
East Stroudsburg advances to the quarterfinals of the 2026 DII Women's Lacrosse Tournament. The Warriors took command after a strong second quarter scoring nine goals. Sadie Kauffman and Jolee Roth were the leading scorers for ESU each contirbuting five goals. Ariana Tucci and Lauren Hallman were also strong offensively for the Warriors bringing in four goals each. Defensivley, East Stroudsburg totaled six caused turnovers and 15 ground balls. The Warriors will face Kutztown in the quarterfinals. Date and time of the game has yet to be determined
Kutztown defeats Slippery Rock, 9-6
The Golden Bears keep their season alive after defeating Slippery Rock in the second round of the 2026 NCAA DII Women's Lacrosse Tournament. Kutztown made their big scoring moves in the second and fourth quarter with one and two goals while keeping Slippery Rock scoreless. Madison Wenner led KU with three goals and three ground balls. Marisa Bragg was key for the Golden Bears defense finishing with 12 saves in the net and only allowing six goals while Summer Davis caused five turnovers. Kutztown will face East Stroudsburg in the quarterfinals. Date and time of the game has yet to be determined.
FIRST ROUND
Kutztown defeats Wingate, 12-8
Kutztown secures their spot in the second round of the 2026 NCAA DII Women's Lacrosse Tournament after defeating Wingate 12-8. Maddie Wagner was on fire for the Golden Bears scoring a team high of five goals. Defensivley, Summer Davis led KU with four ground balls and goalie Marisa Bragg finished with eight saves. The Golden Bears will have a PSAC championship rematch on Saturday May 9 as they play Slippery Rock at 1 p.m.
West Chester defeats Frostburg St., 22-13
The West Chester Golden Rams advance to the second round after a 22-13 victory over Frostburg St. Offensively, Sydney Wasdick led West Chester with seven goals followed by Marissa Herring with five and Audrey Miller with four. On the defensive side, Lila McMahon-Skates and Lauren Rush finsihed with four ground balls each. The Golden Rams will face fellow PSAC East team East Stroudsburg on Saturday May 9 at 12 p.m.
INDIANAPOLIS - Four Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference women's lacrosse programs were selected to compete in the 2026 NCAA Division II Women's Lacrosse Championship Atlantic Regional, as announced on Sunday evening by the NCAA. Slippery Rock, East Stroudsburg, Kutztown, and West Chester will enter this spring's competition.
2026 PSAC champion Slippery Rock will host a three-team pod as the No. 1 seed in the bracket and will face the winner of No. 4 Kutztown (The Rock's PSAC title game opponent) and No. 5 seed Wingate.
No. 2 seed East Stroudsburg will host the other pod and will open with a game against the winner of No. 3 West Chester and No. 6 Frostburg St.
The quarterfinals will follow on Saturday, May 16, with semifinals on Thursday, May 21 and the 2026 NCAA Division II Championship Game on Saturday, May 23.
