Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/12/19
From Press Releases
East Stroudsburg University and host West Chester will face off once again for a spot in the Division II Final Four today.
Opening draw is scheduled for 12 p.m. at West Chester’s Vonnie Gros Field, with the winner advancing to the championship site at Grand Valley State in Allendale, Mich., next weekend.
On this same weekend last year, the Warriors topped the Golden Rams 16-14 for their first region title.
THE MATCH-UP
West Chester (18-2) is ranked No. 5 nationally. The Golden Rams increased their winning streak to 12 games with a 20-10 win over Seton Hill in their first round contest on Friday. PSAC Athlete of the Year Maggie Stella (Central Bucks East) had a team-high six goals in the victory.
ESU (15-5) was ranked No. 14 in the latest IWLCA DII Coaches’ poll. The Warriors advanced with a 12-8 victory over Mercyhurst on Friday afternoon. Cicerelle provided four goals and three assists, while Jefferis added four goals for the ESU offense.
BRACKET UPDATE
The ESU/West Chester winner will face either Le Moyne or Adelphi in next Friday’s semifinal. Le Moyne, the No. 1 seed in the East region, topped Mercy 17-7 in the opening round while third-seeded Adelphi rolled past LIU Post by a 16-3 final.
Other quarterfinals contested on Sunday include Midwest No. 1 Regis vs. No. 3 Colorado Mesa, and South No. 3 Rollins vs. No. 4 Queens (NC).
OFFENSIVE MILESTONE FOR ESU’s JEFFERIS (Phoenixville)
With the last of her four goals on Friday, ESU’s TJ Jefferis (Phoenixville) became the sixth Warrior in program history to reach 200 points in her collegiate career. Jefferis ranks tied for 12th all-time at ESU in goals (127) and she is third in career assists (73). She has scored a career-high 48 goals this spring while also supplying 19 assists.
WCU’s leaders on Friday
Seniors Stella and Sami Barnett (Interboro) combined to score 10 goals in leading the Rams to their 20-10 victory over No. 25 Seton Hill on Friday at Vonnie Gros Field.
West Chester jumped on Seton Hill (11-9) early and never let up en route to the win. East Stroudsburg defeated Mercyhurst, 12-8, in the other first round matchup in the Atlantic Regional being held at Vonnie Gros Field.
West Chester limited Seton Hill’s senior forward Makenzie Kilduff to just one goal. In last week’s PSAC semifinal, Kilduff torched the Golden Rams for seven goals.
Stella finished with six goals on the afternoon while Barnett added four. Tara Morrissey (Bishop Shanahan) netted a hat trick while Ryan McKinney (Downingtown West) potted a pair for herself.
So., GK Julianne Clemens (Springfield-DELCO) made nine saves in the win.
WCU vs. ESU this year
West Chester has defeated East Stroudsburg twice this year, 15-14 in overtime during the regular season and again, 13-9, last weekend in the PSAC title game.
