EAST STROUDSBURG, PA – Visiting West Chester scored the first five goals of the game, withstood a furious comeback by the hosts in the second quarter, and then put together a strong third quarter before holding off one final push from East Stroudsburg to come away with an 11-9 victory in a pivotal women's lacrosse match at Whitenight Field Wednesday afternoon.
West Chester (14-0, 9-0 PSAC East) all but solidified its claim to the regular-season conference title and the top seed in the upcoming Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament while East Stroudsburg (11-3, 7-2) falls into a tie for second place two games back of the Golden Rams with three left.
The Golden Rams topped the Warriors for the second time this year while claiming its fifth win over a ranked opponent this spring. West Chester held ESU in single digits for goals making it 12 of 14 games in which its opponent did not reach double figures.
Hannah Stanislawczyk (Mohnton, Pa./Gov. Mifflin) and
Keri Barnett (Glenolden, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) each scored four goals.
Julia Littlewood (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) notched two tallies while
Taylor O'Brien (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) had the other.
Two of Barnett's goals came during that five-goal burst at the outset of the contest. Stanislawcyzk scored her first at the beginning of the second to push the lead to 5-0. That's when ESU put together a three-goal run to draw within a pair.
Stanislawczyk ended that spurt with her second of the day with 4:28 left before halftime. The Warriors bounced right back with two goals in the final 24 seconds to make it a 6-5 game heading into the break.
However, it was West Chester that answered the bell this time by scoring twice early in the third that restored the Golden Rams' four-goal lead and took the wind out of the Warriors' sails.
West Chester scooped up 20 ground balls, to ESU's 12, while causing nine turnovers. Midfielder
Grace Frasso (Cinnaminson, N.J./Cinnaminson) grabbed five ground balls and caused two turnovers herself.
East Stroudsburg goalkeeper, Riley DiFiore, played well in goal. She made 12 save to keep the Warriors in the contest all afternoon. West Chester's
Jessica Gorr (Exton, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) made five saves – two in the first quarter that helped the Golden Rams build its early lead.
West Chester hosts Shepherd on Saturday at Vonnie Gros Field at 1 p.m. on Senior Day. West Chester will honor its graduating seniors in a brief ceremony before the contest.
