Prior to coach Xeni Barakos-Yoder’s arrival in 2016, East Stroudsburg had never won its league championship or qualified for the NCAA Tournament. In fact, the Warriors averaged just six wins per season during the four years before she took over the program.
Things have changed quickly at ESU.
East Stroudsburg has won 53 games since the start of the 2016 season, and enjoyed a breakthrough 2017 campaign in which it captured its first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) title and made its first NCAA postseason appearance. A second NCAA berth followed in 2018, with the Warriors advancing to the national semifinals.
Now, midway through Barakos-Yoder’s fourth year back at her alma mater, the Warriors are 9-2 overall and lead the PSAC with a 6-0 record. Ranked 10th in this week’s Nike/US Lacrosse Division II Women's Top 20, they carry a seven-game winning streak into Saturday’s contest at IUP.
“It’s been amazing to see the transformation here,” said Barakos-Yoder, a 2011 ESU grad and the IWLCA’s 2018 Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. “The players are anxious to win. They set the goals and put in the work to achieve them.”
The coach points to the defense, anchored by junior goalie Tatyana Petteway, as being a primary catalyst in the program’s ascent. Petteway recorded her 500th career save earlier this week in ESU’s 21-11 win over Lock Haven.
“We get a lot of positive energy from that end of the field,” Barakos-Yoder said. “And at the end of the day, you need a goalie who can make big saves.”
In just three seasons, the Warriors have morphed from underdogs into big dogs.
“There’s been a huge change in our mentality,” Barakos-Yoder said. “At the same time, the PSAC is so competitive that we have to be ready for every game. There’s lots of mental training involved. It’s part of the growing process.”
Unfamiliar Ground for Florida Southern
Florida Southern, the national championship runner-up in each of the last two years, has been sitting in unfamiliar territory this week. It’s been over three years since the Mocs, ninth in this week’s Nike/US Lacrosse Division II Women's Top 20, have been ranked that low. In fact, it was the week of March 28, 2016 when the Mocs were last outside of the top 10, checking in at number 11 in that week’s ranking.
Wednesday night, FSC made a strong statement to start moving back to higher ground. The Mocs scored on their first three possessions of the game and never trailed in a 16-11 win over No. 3 Rollins, handing the Tars their first loss of the year. Junior Riley Bannatyne recorded five goals for the third straight game to lead the Florida Southern offense.
By the way, how did that 2016 season turn out for FSC? The Mocs finished the year on a 14-game winning streak and captured the national championship.
Limestone Back in Position
With 11 league titles, Limestone has long been the flagship program in Conference Carolinas. The Saints also have nine NCAA Tournament appearances and two national runner-up finishes on their resume.
Therefore it was no surprise when Limestone was tabbed as the league’s preseason favorite again in 2019.
The Saints stumbled early, however, losing by nine goals at home to Tampa in mid-February. It was their first loss to the Spartans in six meetings.
“Tampa dominated the draw controls in that game and we just couldn’t stop the bleeding in the second half,” said coach Scott Tucker, serving in his 18th year at Limestone.
Now, six weeks later, that game has almost become a distant memory. Limestone has reeled off 10 straight wins since that loss, improving to 12-1 overall and climbing back to number seven in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division II Women's Top 20.
“We’ve made steady improvement in some of the areas that were question marks,” Tucker said.
In some cases, a committee approach has been the solution. Draw controls have improved to 60%, with three players – Julia Foster, Elizabeth Muscella, and Alyssa Voccia – sharing the load. Goalies Teja Gallop and Madison Hill have both logged significant minutes.
The Saints have positioned themselves as a postseason contender once again in the NCAA’s South Region.
“There are probably six to eight teams that are realistically vying for four spots, so we know that each game is critical,” Tucker said. “The kids are smart enough to know what’s on the line. The room for error is pretty slim.”
Panthers-Pioneers Cap Series With Thriller
Last week, we referenced the fact that one of the premiere rivalries in Division II women’s lacrosse, LIU Post against Adelphi, may be coming to an end due to Post’s pending move to NCAA Division I status next year. If last Saturday’s match-up between the Long Island neighbors was indeed the last meeting, the teams certainly capped their non-conference series, which began in 2001, with a thriller.
Adelphi rallied from a three-goal deficit in the closing minutes, including two scores in the final 24 seconds, to force overtime. Visiting LIU Post rebounded to score the game-winner with just 18 seconds left in the extra session, handing Adelphi its first loss of the year. The game marked just the second overtime contest in 25 all-time meetings between the teams.
How even has this rivalry been between the two traditional powers? Saturday’s win lifted LIU Post ahead, 13-12, in the overall series record. Both teams have registered 259 goals through the 25 games.
While nothing has been determined, at least one of the coaches leaves open the possibility that the two programs could still find a way to meet in the future.
“I am not sure about our scheduling for next year but we would always love to keep our rivalry going,” said LIU Post’s Meghan McNamara. “It is important to us and to Long Island.”