ESU Climbs into Top 5 of USA Lacrosse Division II Women's Top 20

It wasn’t looking good for East Stroudsburg last Saturday. The Warriors had rallied in the fourth quarter against Adelphi with three straight goals to pull to within 10-9 in the final minute, but with possession and a chance to tie, ESU turned the ball over in the offensive zone with 30 seconds remaining. It appeared that Adelphi would be able to run out the clock, with East Stroudsburg’s comeback bid falling just short.

That’s when the unimaginable happened. ESU’s Campbell Heller intercepted Adelphi’s long clearing pass near midfield, quickly found Emily Mitarotonda open in front of the cage, and Mitarotonda promptly buried her seventh goal of the game with three seconds left. In overtime, both teams had chances before ESU’s Hannah Schiemer ended the drama 5:10 into extra time on a free-position.

With its second straight overtime win, No. 5 East Stroudsburg jumps eight spots in this week’s USA Lacrosse Division II Women's Top 20 , earning its highest ranking since starting the 2023 season at No. 1.

The Warriors are one of five undefeated teams occupying the top of this week’s ranking and one of seven undefeated teams in the Top 20 overall.

West Chester, which grabbed two solid non-conference road wins last week, continues to hold the No. 1 position, followed by defending champion Pace, which looked impressive in home wins over both Tampa and Florida Southern last week. Maryville, Regis, and ESU round out the top five.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION II
WOMEN’S TOP 20

1. West Chester, 4-0 (Prev: 1)
2. Pace, 4-0 (Pev: 3)
3. Maryville, 7-0 (Prev: 4)
4. Regis, 3-0 (Prev: 6)
5. East Stroudsburg, 3-0 (Prev: 13)
6. Adelphi, 3-1 (Prev: 2)
7. UIndy, 4-1 (Prev: 9)
8. Tampa, 4-2 (Prev: 5)
9. Grand Valley State, 5-1 (Prev: 8)
10. Flagler, 8-1 (Prev: 10)
11. Embry-Riddle, 7-1 (Prev: 11)
12. Rollins, 8-1 (Prev: 12)
13. Florida Southern, 5-3 (Prev: 7)
14. Limestone, 8-0 (Prev: 14)
15. Wingate, 6-2 (Prev: 17)
16. Kutztown, 2-1 (Prev: 15)
17. Saint Anselm, 3-0 (Prev: 18)
18. Lynn, 5-1 (Prev: NR)
19. Molloy, 4-1 (Prev: 19)
20. Bentley, 1-1 (Prev: 20)

Also considered (alphabetical order): Anderson, Bloomsburg, Davis & Elkins, Missouri Western, New Haven

HOT

East Stroudsburg (+8)

Saturday’s overtime victory over former No. 2 Adelphi was the highest-ranked opponent ESU has beaten since taking down No. 1 Queens, 13-12 in overtime, in the 2022 national semifinals. The key to Saturday’s win was the defense’s performance in keeping Adelphi scoreless for the final 27:32, including overtime, with junior goalie Abby Simonetti making 11 saves in her first career start.

Regis (+2)

The Rangers registered one of the most impressive road victories of the season, rallying for a 16-14 win at then-No. 5 Florida Southern last week.

“I'm hoping this win builds a lot of confidence for us,” coach Sarah Kellner said. “We have a lot of talent, and after a long preseason, we were wondering how we were going to fare against teams that had already played 3-4 games. But the girls responded really well, and I was proud of the mindset they had of focusing on the next play.”

NOT

Florida Southern (-6)

Playing the second-toughest schedule in the nation looked like it may have worn down the Mocs last week, with a home loss to Regis and a road loss at No. 2 Pace. FSC had also played Top 20 teams Flagler, UIndy, Adelphi and Wingate through the first four weeks. The Mocs did close out their northern road trip with a win over Mercy and have a chance to now build momentum with four straight home games, starting Thursday against Lee.

Tampa (-3)

The Spartans survived a challenging road trip that had them playing three games in six days by registering wins at Mercy and Kutztown after an initial setback against No. 2 Pace. Tampa was even with the defending champs through one quarter but outscored 9-3 over the final 45 minutes in an eventual 11-5 setback. It’s another busy week ahead for Tampa with three more games, including Sunday’s visit to No. 7 UIndy.

IN

Lynn (No. 18)

Juniors Mallory Jarka and Kristyn Johnson combined to score 13 points, as the Fighting Knights won their fourth straight game Sunday by defeating No. 19 Molloy 18-12. Lynn improved to 5-1 overall, with its only loss coming against No. 12 Rollins three weeks ago. The Knights are outscoring their opponents by 8.25 goals per game during the current four-game winning streak.

OUT

Seton Hill (was No. 16)

The Griffins are off to an 0-3 start after losing twice in Florida last week, falling to Saint Leo and No. 10 Flagler. Seton Hill started competitively against the Saints, but Flagler eventually built an 11-3 halftime lead and cruised to a lopsided 16-4 win. The Griffins will try to start the rebound Wednesday in their home opener against Shippensburg.