Lac4-26

ESU-Lock Haven Women's Lacrosse

LOCK HAVEN - East Stroudsburg University gained a berth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference women's lacrosse championship playoffs for the first time in 14 years Wednesday by beating Lock Haven, 16-7, behind the scoring of Kristin Restivo (seven goals) and Megan Macauley (five goals).

The Warriors finished their PSAC season with a 4-2 record and clinched the chance to play division-leading Bloomsburg in the conference championship game Saturday, May 6 on the Huskies' field. West Chester also can finish 4-2, but ESU wins the tie-breaker for a playoff berth by virtue of their 7-6 win over the Golden Rams two weeks ago.

It will be the Warriors' first playoff appearance since they finished second in the league in a four-team playoff in 1986, Miller's first year as head coach. They beat Millersville, 11-10, in the semi-finals and then bowed to West Chester, 14-6, in the championship game that year.

Restivo, the nation's leading NCAA Division II scorer, upped her season total to 65 goals with her second straight seven-goal game. She scored five times in the first half, including the team's first two goals, as ESU took a 10-2 halftime lead.

Macauley had four goals of her five goals in the first half. She now has 46 goals for the season, tenth in the nation. Kim Niles added two goals and an assist while Charlie Hicks-Little and Kelly Lambert each had three assists.

ESU goalie Kelly Wagner made eight saves in 50 minutes while backup goalie Kristin Kowalczyk had two saves in ten minutes.

The win raised the Warriors' record to 11-3 with one regular-season remaining at Gannon, the nation's number one ranked Division II team, Sunday. Lock Haven is now 0-11.

Millersville could have tied ESU and West Chester for second place at 4-2, but lost to Shippensburg, 11-9, Wednesday and finished 3-3 in the conference.

East Stroudsburg 10-6 16

Lock Haven 2-5 7

Goals: ES - Kristin Restivo 7, Megan Macauley 5, Kim Niles 2, Kelly Lambert,

Stephanie Wise; LH - Erin Smith 3, Jennifer Kinsey, Megan Dwyer, Carleen Childs, Jennifer

Simpson

Assists: ES - Charlie Hicks-Little 3, Kelly Lambert 3, Niles; LH - Moria Ritchie 2, Kinsey

Shots: ES 29, LH 19; Goalie Saves: ESU - Kelly Wagner (50 minutes) 8; Kristin

Kowalczyk (10 minutes) 2; LH - Cindy Brownell (12 minutes) 1; Megan Carlin (48 minutes) 8

Records: ESU 11-3 (4-2 PSAC), Lock Haven 0-11 (0-5 PSAC)

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