Warriors End Women's Lacrosse's Season in First Round of NCAA Tournament

EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The Frostburg State Women's Lacrosse team saw their season come to a close with an 18-8 loss to East Stroudsburg in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
 
FSU started the game off with junior Neila Haney taking the opening draw as the offense managed a pair of shots off target before the Warriors caused a turnover. The defensive effort sparked back-to-back free position goals from their star freshman Sadie Kauffman just over three and a half minutes in. Both teams traded turnovers, as senior Nicole Gray was able to make a pair of saves in net during a three-minute scoreless stretch. ESU broke the drought with another pair of quick-fire goals less than a minute apart, taking their lead to 4-0 midway through the period.
 
Frostburg had a clear look at goal after East Stroudsburg was shown a yellow card, but senior Kerri Hayes was kept out by Abby Simonetti in the Warrior goal. ESU continued to get clean looks on offense, putting the ball in the net twice more in the next two minutes for a strong 6-0 lead. The Bobcats were finally able to get on the board with Haney taking another draw, eventually setting up graduate Camden DeMaio to end the period with a 6-1 score.
 
Junior Emily Lamoreaux was the next to control the draw to open the second, but a turnover allowed East Stroudsburg to push their advantage up to six again. DeMaio then earned herself a free position, but Simonetti stood tall to deny her a second score. At the other end, Gray made a save on an initial shot, but the Warriors swiftly picked up the rebound and scored for an 8-1 advantage. Haney then had a similar fate to DeMaio on a free position, being denied by Simonetti before exacting her revenge two minutes later.
 
At the seven-minute mark of the quarter, the Warriors ramped up their intensity, scoring four goals in a three-minute span to take a commanding 12-2 lead. Senior Delaney Devers picked up a caused turnover in the final minute of play, hoping to spark an FSU attack, however the reverse ended up coming true with ESU leading 13-2 at the half.
 
Frostburg came out of the break with renewed energy, fending off the Warriors taking the draw with freshman Kamryn Lee causing a turnover while senior Julia Badolato passed to freshman Megan Gray for a nice spin and finish. Gray picked up a save in net, leading to DeMaio feeding Badolato after an East Stroudsburg yellow card to get back within a single-digit margin. ESU called an effective timeout to get themselves back on the board with another Kauffman free position. The Bobcats responded in quick fashion, as juniors Daniella Boss and Sydney Stone netted back-to-back goals off draws from Haney and DeMaio to get to a 14-6 score.
 
The Warriors had trouble adjusting to FSU's extra defensive effort, turning the ball over again and allowing Stone to get the clear, where DeMaio passed to Badolato to finish home and make things a seven-goal game. The next three minutes were dominated by defense, as the sides combined for five turnovers before East Stroudsburg netted on another free position to stop a 4-2 Frostburg run. Haney ensured FSU would have the final say of the frame, however, being found by Lamoreaux for a 15-8 score heading to the fourth.
 
Simonetti and Gray were determined not to get beat in the final period, combining for five saves and holding a combined shutout through the first seven minutes of the quarter. ESU was the first to strike with Kauffman firing on all cylinders again, while Badolato was denied by Simonetti. After the Warriors found another free position score, the final minutes featured more combined turnovers than shots, as the hosts added a last-second goal for the 18-8 final.
 
Haney, Badolato, and DeMaio each tallied three points on the day to lead the attack, while Devers, DeMaio, and Gray each caused a pair of turnovers apiece.
 
With the loss, Frostburg ends their season at 13-7, while East Stroudsburg advances to 15-5 and moves on to the Second Round for a match-up with second-seeded Slippery Rock.