EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University field hockey team's 2017 season came to end Tuesday in a 5-0 loss to No. 2 East Stroudsburg University in the first round of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament.
 
Slippery Rock concludes the season with an overall record of 10-9, its first winning season since 1998. The 10 wins are tied for the second most victories in a single-season in program history.
 
Abby McKay and Courtney Page accounted for The Rock's two shots on goal against the Warriors (16-3). Kailee Krupski, Liz Wolfe and Allison Grant all registered shots as well.
 
Goalkeeper Nicole Bream played the opening 44 minutes of the game, allowing three goals and making two saves. Maddie Murphy came on for Bream for the final portion of the contest. She made three saves while giving up two goals.
 
Slippery Rock's defense faced near constant pressure in the first half as the Warriors placed five shots in The Rock's zone before breaking through for the game's first goal in the 17th minute. ESU added to its lead with a goal at 21:14 to take a 2-0 advantage over SRU heading into the halftime break.
 
After not recording a shot in the opening 35 minutes, Slippery Rock's offensive attack did pick up in the second half with five total shots and two penalty corners, but none of the attempts could get by ESU goalie Halie Frisco. The Warriors sealed the game with three insurance goals in the 41st, 50th and 51st minutes on the way to the 5-0 victory.
 
For the game, East Stroudsburg held advantages over The Rock in total shots (18-5), shots on goal (10-2) and penalty corners (6-2).
 
Kelli Shapiro and Sydney McCarthy each tallied a goal and assist in the win for East Stroudsburg. The Warriors will now play Millersville in the PSAC Tournament semifinals 3:30 p.m. Friday.
 
Tuesday's game also marked the final collegiate contest in the careers of seniors Alyssa Castle, Torri Rose, Kayla Mack, Krupski and Bream.
 
Nine of the 19 players to appear against East Stroudsburg were underclassmen (freshman or sophomore) with at least two years of eligibility remaining including leading scorers Kayla Ulrich (11 goals, two assists) and Brittany Morgan (six goals, three assists). Ulrich's 11 goals were the most by a Rock freshman in program history and the sixth most by any SRU athlete in a single-season.
 

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