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NCAA DII Tournament - #2 seed, 1st-round bye to Final 4 in Louisville

SHIPPENSBURG - Rachal Toppi scored a pair of goals to lead West Chester to the 2017 PSAC field hockey championship with a 3-0 win over East Stroudsburg University on Sunday afternoon at Robb Sports Complex at Shippensburg University.

West Chester (15-6) scored two goals in the first half, the first by Toppi 10 minutes in and the second by Kaitlin Hatch at the 20:50 mark. Toppi added an insurance goal with 6:58 remaining.

ESU (17-4) reached its second PSAC championship game in three years after winning its first PSAC title in 2015. The Warriors are PSAC runner-up for the third time (2001, 2010, 2017).

Both teams will await the NCAA Division II Tournament selection show, which be announced Monday at 3 p.m. on ncaa.com. ESU was listed No. 1 in the Atlantic Region last week, with the top three teams advancing to the six-team national field.

ESU, the PSAC's No. 3 seed, reached the final with a 5-0 win vs. Slippery Rock in the first round, and a 3-1 win over No. 2 seed Millersville in the semifinal.

West Chester, the No. 4 seed, posted three straight shutouts - winning 1-0 vs. Bloomsburg and 1-0 at No. 1 seed Shippensburg to reach the final.

West Chester had a 9-6 advantage in shots and ESU held a 5-4 edge in penalty corners in the first championship game meeting between the two programs.

Marissa Elizardo made three saves for West Chester, and senior goalkeeper Halle Frisco had one save for ESU.

Toppi and Hatch, both first team All-PSAC selections, have combined for 35 of West Chester's 70 goals this year. Toppi is the returning NFHCA DII Player of the Year.

WCU wins its third PSAC title in six years, adding to trophies in 2012 and 2014. The Golden Rams have made all seven PSAC Tournaments since rejoining DII in 2011, and have made six straight semifinals.

ESU was in the PSAC Tournament for the fifth straight season and made its fourth straight semifinal. The Warriors fall to 51-12 in the last three years, the best run in program history.

If the Warriors are included in the NCAA field on Monday, it will be their ninth NCAA appearance, sixth at the DII level and third straight. They have made DII Tournaments in 2001, 2009, 2010, 2015 and 2016, and DIII Tournaments in 1987, 1988 and 1990. The 2015 team won ESU's first national title.