EAST STROUDSBURG, PA – West Chester was held to five goals in the second half as host East Stroudsburg strolled to an 18-12 victory in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division showdown of Top 10 programs at Whitenight Field Wednesday afternoon.
West Chester (7-2, 3-1 PSAC East) saw its seven-game winning streak come to a close while East Stroudsburg (10-0, 5-0) remained unbeaten on the season in the battle of conference powerhouse programs.
A goal from
Kendall Fortune (Jarrettsville, Md./North Harford) tied the game at 7-apiece in the last part of the second quarter. However, ESU went on a 3-0 run, aided by a pair of extra-attacker tallies, to close out the first half and swing the momentum in its favor, 10-7. West Chester never really seemed to recover from that spurt at the end of the first half.
The Warriors scored the first two goals of second half and opened up what turned out to be an insurmountable five-goal advantage. West Chester closed to within three (14-11) one minute into the fourth quarter. But, East Stroudsburg squashed any thoughts of a comeback with a 4-0 run to take an 18-11 lead.
The Golden Rams yielded four extra-attacker goals overall in the contest. The Warriors' All-American up top, Sadie Kauffman finished with seven goals and 10 points while adding eight draw controls for the hosts. Hannah Schiemer and Ariana Tucci each scored three times for ESU.
West Chester had four players score a pair of goals.
Marissa Herring (Landenberg, Pa./Kennett Square) added four ground balls and two caused turnovers to her pair of markers.
Ava Sheeran (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional) and
Lila McMahon-Skates (West Linn, Ore./West Linn) each finished with three points – adding an assist to their two goals.
Sydney Wasdick (Pottsgrove, Pa./Pottsgrove) finished with one goal and two assists, along with seven draw controls. Fortune was the other player with two goals in the contest.
West Chester returns home on Saturday to welcome in PSAC rival, Bloomsburg, at 1 p.m.
