WEST CHESTER, PA – West Chester University is set for its Top-5 showdown with fifth-ranked East Stroudsburg on Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. at Vonnie Gros Field. The Golden Rams enter the contest one game behind the Warriors in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division standings with two games left to play.
Wednesday's tilt serves as the regular-season finale for East Stroudsburg (16-0, 11-0) while West Chester (13-2, 9-1) will host Shippensburg on Saturday in its regular-season swan song on what will be Senior Day for the Golden Rams. A win for the Golden Rams would leave them within one-half game of the Warriors in the league standings with an opportunity to pull even with a follow-up win over the Raiders on the weekend.
2026 PSAC TOURNAMENT TIE-BREAKING SCENARIOS …
The PSAC Operating Code for tie-breakers is listed below. It breaks down to West Chester needing to win both of its remaining regular-season league games, but beating East Stroudsburg by seven goals on Wednesday because ESU beat West Chester by six earlier in the year.
a. Head-to-head competition within mandated divisional play.
b. Goal differential in head-to-head contests among tied teams (only contests mandated by PSAC): Total goals minus total goals against with no more than 7 goals counting in games where the differential is greater than 7.
c. Record vs. top seeded divisional team(s) progressing down until the tie is broken.
d. Win/Loss record in away contests – PSAC mandated divisional schedule.
e. A coin toss.
2026 PSAC TOURNAMENT
The 2026 PSAC Tournament is an eight-team single-elimination format. The top four teams in the East and the top four teams in the West qualify for the tournament. The quarterfinal round is a cross-over match between the two divisions and will be played on Tuesday, April 28. There is no more first-round bye for anybody. All eight teams play in the quarterfinals with the East 1 seed hosting the West 4 seed; E2 hosting W3; W2 hosting E3 and W1 hosting E4. Slippery Rock has clinched the top seed in the Western Division. East Stroudsburg and West Chester have clinched the top two seeds in the East. It is just a matter of who will be the 1-seed and who will be the 2-seed. The conference semifinals will be played on the campus of the top remaining seed from the West on Friday, May 1 with the championship game slated for Sunday, May 3. If all four Western Division teams lose in the quarterfinals, then the host will be the No. 1 seed in the East.
The PSAC Women's Lacrosse Tournament is a CASHLESS event. Tickets will go on sale next week and can only be purchased via
HUDL TICKETS. All Sales are Final – No Refunds. It is advised to purchase tickets the night before, or day of, after reviewing the weather forecast. Championship Admission Fees: Adults: $10; Student K-12: $5; Free admission for students from member institutions with a valid school ID. No complimentary tickets will be available. PSAC passes will be honored.
ABOUT WEST CHESTER
West Chester brings the nation's third-ranked scoring offense into Wednesday's showdown. The Golden Rams average scoring 17.8 goals per game. The Purple & Gold are led by senior attackers Lila McMahon-Skates (80 points) and
Sydney Wasdick (49 goals, 66 points). McMahon-Skates ranks second in the PSAC and 13
th in the country in points per game (5.33).
Kendall Fortune ranks sixth in the conference in goals per game (3.33). A big reason for West Chester's success has been its efficiency on free position attempts. The Golden Rams lead the PSAC and rank fourth in Division II by converting 60 percent of its FPA's.
ABOUT EAST STROUDSBURG
So., attacker, Sadie Kauffman, was recently highlighted as one of five underclassmen in Division II that could make a big impact down the stretch – and she has done just that. The PSAC freshman of the year, as well as consensus All-American, last spring, she is proving it was no fluke as a sophomore in 2026. Through 14 games, she is leading the No. 5 Warriors in goals (70) and points (96), both of which lead the PSAC and are among the top three marks in DII. She also leads the team in game-winning goals with five. What's truly frightening for the PSAC and DII is that Kauffman is part of a high-scoring underclassmen attacking trio, joining juniors Ariana Tucci (49 goals) and Paige Moreland (26 goals, 38 assists) to lead DII's most potent offense, averaging 19.25 goals per game.
(excerpted from NCAA.com by Wayne Cavaldi)
WEST CHESTER-EAST STROUDSBURG LAST GAME …
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.
West Chester saw its seven-game winning streak come to a close while East Stroudsburg remained unbeaten on the season in the battle of conference powerhouse programs.
A goal from
Kendall Fortune 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.
NEXT UP FOR WCU …
West Chester closes out its 2026 regular season schedule at home on Saturday at Vonnie Gros Field for a 1 p.m. start against Shippensburg on what will serve as Senior Day for the Golden Rams as they pay tribute to their graduating class before the game.
