The bracket has been set for the 2008 Pennsylvania
State Athletic Conference Lacrosse Championship.
The top four teams in the conference are set to face
off for a shot at the 30th annual conference crown as semifinal
play begins at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29.
West Chester, the No. 1 seed, will host fourth-seeded
East Stroudsburg, while No. 2 Lock Haven will play host to third-seeded
Bloomsburg. The winners of the two matchups square
off in the championship game at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 3rd
at the highest remaining seed.
Tickets for the semifinals and championship game are $7 for
adults and $2 for students. Students currently
enrolled at any PSAC member institutions will be
admitted free with a valid student ID.
West Chester
defeated East Stroudsburg 23-5 and 25-4 during the squads’ two regular season
meetings. The Golden Rams enter the tournament with
an overall record of 16-1 and a flawless 14-0
conference record. West Chester has won 11 of the
last 14 PSAC championships and appeared in four
consecutive NCAA Championship games. The squad is
ranked fourth in the nation and looks to capture its
fifth consecutive PSAC title en route to avenging
the Golden Rams disappointment in the NCAA
Championship Game the last two years. The Golden
Rams are led by last season’s National and PSAC
Player of the Year in Stephanie Kienle. All-American Jackie Baker joins Kienle
on offense. The Golden Rams' backfield
has been outstanding as well. The West Chester defense has held its opponents to a
less than seven goals per contest. The defense is led by 2007 All-PSAC
First Team selection Gina DiDomenicis.
The Lock Haven Lady Eagles enter the tournament as
the second seed for the fourth consecutive year.
Lock Haven has been the runner-up to West Chester
the last two seasons. The Lady Eagles will look to
advance to the PSAC finals and a possible meeting
with West Chester, but they will have to defeat a
strong Bloomsburg team to do so. In their two
regular season contests, Lock Haven defeated
Bloomsburg 20-9 and 16-13. The Lady Eagles
finished the regular season with a 14-3 overall
record and a 12-2 conference mark. Lock Haven’s
offensive trio of All-American Jessica Blickenstaff,
2007 Rookie of the Year Leigh Titus
and Amber Hoch has been solid throughout the
season. The Lock Haven defense is anchored by
seniors Christina Fried and 2007 Second Team All-PSAC
selection Caitlynn Watts. The team allows 9.93
goals per contest while pouring in an average of
16.21.
Bloomsburg has posted an overall record of 9-8
and a conference record of 9-5. The Huskies
will look to avenge their regular season defeats and
advance to the PSAC Championship game for the first
time since 2005, where they fell to West Chester.
Bloomsburg is led by two-time 2008 PSAC Lacrosse
Player of the Week Cali Toms.
Teammate Kim Springman joins Toms at the top of the
Bloomsburg scoring chart while the duo is
complimented by Sam Alexander and Kelsey Quigley. 2007
Second Team All-PSAC selection Angela Piciotti heads
a solid defense that allows an average of 10.14
goals per game.
East Stroudsburg is the fourth seed and will visit
West Chester in the first round of PSAC tournament
action. The Warriors fell to the Golden Rams 23-5
and 23-4 earlier this season, but East Stroudsburg
looks to turn the tide on West Chester. The
Warriors have made a monumental turn around from
last season’s record of 3-12 overall and 2-12 in
conference play. East Stroudsburg finished the 2008
regular season with an 11-6 overall record and an
8-6 conference mark. The 2008 season marks the first
time since 2005 that the Warriors have made an
appearance in the Conference Tournament. East
Stroudsburg met West Chester in the first round of
that tournament, as West Chester advanced and won
the 2005 PSAC Championship. The team is led by leading goal
scorer Katie Fretz and joined on offense by team points leader
and 2007 First Team All-PSAC selection Renee
Maniscalco. The senior also
leads the conference's third ranked defense as they
allow an average of 10.07 goals per game.