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All-PSAC release (McCarthy PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Year)

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Friday
1 p.m. #1 Shippensburg vs #4 West Chester
3:30 p.m. #2 Millersville vs #3 ESU  |  Live Stats  l  Live Video

Sunday
1 p.m. PSAC championship game

More: Updated ESU notes below for semifinals


EAST STROUDSBURG - Senior back Sydney McCarthy and junior midfielder Kelli Shapiro both had a goal and an assist, leading East Stroudsburg University to a 5-0 win over Slippery Rock and a spot in this weekend's PSAC Final Four on Tuesday afternoon at Whitenight Field.

ESU (16-3), the No. 3 seed, advances to the PSAC Final Four for the fourth straight year and will take on No. 2 seed Millersville (14-4) in the semifinals on Friday at 3:30 p.m. at No. 1 seed Shippensburg (14-3).

The Warriors split their two meetings with Millersville in the regular season, winning 2-0 on the road in a non-conference game on September 20, and falling 1-0 (2OT) in the PSAC match-up on October 11.

ESU will face Millersville in the PSAC Tournament for the third straight year, winning the 2015 title - the first in program history - 1-0 vs. the Marauders, and falling 1-0 in the semifinals last year.

ESU had a pair of goal-scoring surges - two in just over four minutes midway through the first half, and two in a 56-second span in the second half - to ease past Slippery Rock (10-9), which made the tournament for the fourth time in the last seven years and had its first 10-win season in almost three decades.

Junior forward Bailey Quinn opened the scoring with a solo effort 16:31 into the game, and junior back Amanda Crampton doubled the lead, assisted by Shapiro - 4:18 later to give the Warriors a 2-0 margin.

Shapiro scored on an assist from McCarthy just over five minutes into the second half, and ESU extended its advantage with goals by McCarthy, on an assist from junior midfielder Paige Harrold, and senior forward Melanie Shambaugh, assisted by junior midfielder Karisa Turner.

ESU's second, third and fourth goals were all scored off penalty corners as the Warriors had a 6-2 advantage. They held a commanding 18-5 lead in shots, including 8-0 in the first half.

Senior goalkeeper Halle Frisco had two saves in the first 66:50 for ESU, posting her 10th shutout of the season. Sophomore Maddie Richie played the final 3:10.

Nicole Bream started and had two saves in 43:15 for Slippery Rock, followed by Maddie Murphy, who played 26:45 and made three saves.

McCarthy's goal and assist give her 10 goals and 10 assists for a team-leading 30 points this season. Shambaugh scored her team-best 11th goal of the year, and Quinn had her 10th.

Shapiro has eight goals on the year, with six in the last five games - scoring in all five contests. Crampton had her second goal of the season.

Harrold notched her 20th career assist, moving into sole possession of seventh in school history.

The Warriors won the regular season meeting, 3-0, at Slippery Rock 10 days ago and have won 36 of the last 38 in the series, including 20 straight at Whitenight Field.

ESU remained No. 2 in this week's NFHCA Division II poll, released earlier Tuesday.

The Warriors were No. 1 in last week's NCAA DII Atlantic Region rankings which will be used to set the NCAA Tournament field on Monday, November 6.

ESU is pursuing its second PSAC championship in school history, and second in the last three years.

The Warriors improve to 50-11 in the last three seasons, and 61-20 since the start of 2014, the school record for a four-year class.


GAME NOTES / WARRIORS UPDATE

* ESU is No. 2 in this week's NFHCA DII poll
* ESU is No. 1 in the NCAA DII Atlantic Region rankings (will set NCAA Tournament field)

* 7 of last 8 meetings between ESU and Millersville (since 2014) decided by 1 goal (ESU 6-5 scoring margin)
* 6 of last 8 meetings decided 1-0, including Millersville 1-0 (2OT) on Oct. 11
* 5 of last 13 meetings have gone to OT (since 2011)
* split PSAC Tournament match-ups the last 2 years (ESU W 1-0 2015 final, Millersville W 1-0 2016 semifinal)

* ESU has 62-17 goal differential
* Warriors have started same 11 players in all 18 games

* Back - Sr. Sydney McCarthy (center back), flanked by Jr. Ashley Ceschini and Jr. Amanda Crampton
* Midfield - Sr. Hannah Caplan, Sr. Ashley Chioda, Jr. Paige Harrold, Jr. Kelli Shapiro, So. Kristen English
* Forward - Sr. Melanie Shambaugh, Jr. Bailey Quinn
* GK - Sr. Halle Frisco

* ESU lost 5 starters from last year's team, including 4 All-America selections who comprised significant part of 2015 and 2016 teams that had combined 34-8 record
* Back Emily Howell and midfielder Desiraye Mack were both 2-time 1st team NFHCA All-America selections, along with All-America back Morgan Firestine and forward Robin Stevenson. Goalkeeper Danielle Ard was a 3-year starter.

* Head coach Sandy Miller (34th year) is 4th coach in PSAC and DII history with 400 career wins (407-267-11)

* McCarthy (team-best 61 career starts) was All-PSAC 2nd team midfielder last year before moving to center back (replacing Howell - 2016 PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Year)
* 10 goals, 10 assists (has hand in 20 goals, while leading defense that has allowed 17)
* goal, assist in 5-0 win vs. Slippery Rock in 1st round
* 17 career goals, 17 assists

* Quinn (2nd-year starter) and Shambaugh have combined for 21 goals (both scored in 1st round win vs. Slippery Rock)
* Shambaugh - 11 goals (team-high), 2 assists
* Quinn - 10 goals, 1 assist (had 8 goals, 2 assists as sophomore in first year at ESU)

* Shapiro - 8 goals, 3 assists (6 goals in last 5 games)
* started 8 games at forward as sophomore before movingto full-time starting role in midfield

* Caplan (4 goals, assist), Chioda (1 assist) and Harrold (3 goals, 8 assists) are all in 2nd season as starters in midfield
* Harrold has 9 career goals and 20 assists in first 3 seasons

* Ceschini is returning starter at back
* Crampton (2 goals, 3 assists) is in first year in lineup after starting 4 games as sophomore (scored ESU's second goal in 1st round vs. SRU)

* 7 Warriors have appeared in at least 10 games off bench:
* Jr. F Makenna Marhefka (4 goals, assist)
* Jr. M Karisa Turner (2 goals, 2 assists)
* So. M Emily Spangler (3 goals, assist)
* So. M Karly Conway (2 goals)
* So. F Sara Ober (goal, 2 assists)
* So. M Grace Martini (goal, assist)
* Fr. M Lea Hughes
(Marhefka, Spangler, Turner, Hughes have played in all 19 games)

* Frisco has 0.77 goals against average (14 goals in 19 starts) and 0.818 save percentage
* 10 total shutouts and 6 solo shutouts
* had 8 saves in 2-0 win vs. #1 Shippensburg on Sept. 6

PSAC SEMIFINALISTS

SHIPPENSBURG (14-3, 9-1)
* only losses 2-0 at ESU (Sept. 6), 4-0 vs. DIII #1 Messiah (Oct. 11) and 3-0 vs. Kutztown (Oct. 21)
* won 4-1 vs. ESU on Sept. 27 in PSAC contest
* won 3-2 vs. West Chester and swept Millersville (6-1, 2-1)

* won only PSAC title in 2005
* 17th straight PSAC Tournament (16 semifinals - lost 1st round in 2015)
* 10-time PSAC runner-up, most recently 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2016

MILLERSVILLE (14-4, 8-2)
* defending PSAC champs have made 5 straight championship game (won 2013, 2016)
* ESU won 1-0 in 2015 championship game
* 4-time PSAC champion (1985-86, 13, 16)

* 11-1 since 3-3 start (lost 2-0 at ESU on Sept. 20)
* won 1-0 (2OT) at ESU on Oct. 11 in PSAC contest

WEST CHESTER (13-6, 6-4)
* has won 4 straight and 7 of last 8 (only loss 2-0 at ESU on Oct. 17)
* won 1-0 vs. Bloomsburg in 1st round on Tuesday
* opened 5-0 before losing 5 of 6 from Sept. 20 to Oct. 5

* 2 PSAC titles (2012, 2014) in 7 years since rejoining PSAC
* 6th straight semifinal (eliminated in 1st round in 2011)
* lost in semifinals each of last 2 years