WEST CHESTER, Pa. – For the first time in program history, the Kutztown women's lacrosse team will take the field for an NCAA Tournament game. No. 21 KU will meet a familiar opponent in No. 17 East Stroudsburg on Friday at 3 p.m., from West Chester University's Vonnie Gros Field, in the opening round of the NCAA Championship.
 
The Golden Bears (13-5 overall) are the No. 2 seed and will take on the No. 3 seeded Warriors (13-5) for the fourth time this season and the third time in a span of 13 days. KU has won the last two outings, 16-14 in the regular season finale on April 29, and then 12-9 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference quarter-final round on May 2. Both games were at Keystone Field. ESU won the first meeting between the teams 10-9 on April 5, on its home field.
 
West Chester, the PSAC champion and Atlantic No. 1 seed, secured hosting rights with an unblemished 19-0 record. The Golden Rams will take on No. 4 seed Seton Hill in a rematch of Sunday's PSAC championship game, a 22-9 WCU victory. That Atlantic Region semifinal will precede the Kutztown/East Stroudsburg game at 11 a.m. Friday's winners will move on to the Atlantic Region championship on Sunday, May 14, at noon. WCU will provide live coverage (stats/video) for each of the games this weekend.
 
Tickets for this weekend's games are available on the day of the games at the gate and sales are CASH ONLY. Prices are $10 for adults, $5 for senior citizens (65+), $5 for students, $2 for children (2-5) and children under two are free. One ticket will gain admission for both games on Friday.
 
Kutztown enters the game having last played a week prior, falling 9-7 to PSAC runner-up and No.22 Seton Hill last Friday, May 5, on the same field it will play East Stroudsburg at in NCAAs. KU raced out to a 4-3 lead after a quarter, but the Griffins locked down defensively from there, holding the Golden Bears to just three more goals over the final 45 minutes.
 
The Golden Bears are led offensively by All-PSAC and IWLCA All-Atlantic Region performers Emma Meakim (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland), Sam Graf (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills), Shannon Lake (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue-Medford) and Lailah ElBouazzaoui (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan). Defender Cyrose Conteh (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) was also named All-PSAC and All-Region and defender Robin Spector (Northfield, N.J./Mainland Regional) earned All-PSAC honors.
 
To stop the Warriors for a third time in-a-row, Kutztown will have to keep midfielder Emily Mitarotonda in check. She broke the program record for career goals as a junior this season and along with attacker Kiki Fitzpatrick, was named to the IWLCA First Team All-Region. Goalie Riley DiFiore and defender Maggie Sell also received First Team recognition, and attacker Hannah Schiemer and defender Olivia Wenrich were on the Second Team.
 
Live stats and video can be found at the links above.