MANSFIELD, Pa. - Last Saturday, the No. 10 Mansfield Mountaineers field hockey team clinched their first trip to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) postseason tournament since 2019 after their road victory against No. 9 Millersville. 

Under the leadership of Brittany Hansrote, this team has seen excellent performance throughout the season. With a record of 11-6 and 5-4 in the PSAC, the team has earned their most wins since 2019. 

With three ranked wins, including No. 2 Shippensburg, at No. 4 Bloomsburg, and at No. 9 Millersville, this sets the most the team has earned in the Hansrote era. 

"It's that feeling of all that hard work paying off for the team and for our whole program. The pride of being my alma mater and being a part of the first team in school history was a monumental moment." said Coach Hansrote. "We keep hitting new heights and milestones and I'm so proud to be a part of this program. I'm so tied to this institution, and this is my family. It goes so much deeper than just surface level."

The Mounties will face fifth seeded No. 4 Bloomsburg on their home field in the PSAC Quarterfinals round to start off their postseason push. 

Tickets for this 2023 PSAC Quarterfinal will cost $10 for adults and $5 for students (K-12). You can also purchase online tickets here: https://psac.ticketleap.com/psac-field-hockey-championships/ 
Tickets can only be purchased via TicketLeap for the Mansfield Quarterfinal contest. This will be a cashless event. All Sales Final - No Refunds. 
(Online Tickets contain fees. $1.50 and $1.25) 

Students can enter the game for free with a valid ID.
You can also scan the QR code below to acquire tickets:



SEASON RECAP 

Upon the first release of NFHCA/Penn Monto Division II rankings, the Mounties started out at No. 10 and were represented in every week's edition for the rest of the season. 

Early in the season, Hansrote earned her 50th win of her career as a Mansfield head coach after their 3-0 shutout victory over New Haven. 

 

After a strong start, the team found themselves 4-0 for the first time since the 2007 season. Accomplishing this record took a 2-0 shutout over No. 2 Shippensburg, which marked a program statement win, their highest ranked win in recent history and their first victory over the Raiders in 16 years. 

The great start earned the Mounties their highest ranking in program history the next week, sitting at No. 6 in those rankings. 



No. 6 Mansfield returned home and shut out Maryville 2-0. For August Lewis, this marked a career moment, setting the record for the most shutouts in a career after earning her 14th shutout, passing the recent Brittany Ryan for the top position.  
 
Lewis also broke the record for shutouts in a single season, with seven, as No. 9 Mansfield shutout IUP, 1-0. Blaise Cugini scored the lone goal in this game, a perfect moment for her against her old team. 
 
No. 7 Mansfield defeated Roberts Wesleyan, 10-0, their most goals by the team since 1996 when the Mounties defeated Elmira College, 15-0. 

After sliding in ranked action, the No. 10 Mountaineers upset No. 4 Bloomsburg with a buzzer-beating finale as Alex Esterling capped off the game finisher and erupted the crowd to take down the Huskies in a thriller ending to claim the conference win, 4-3. 

The final day of the season mattered the most for No. 10 Mansfield as a matchup at No. 9 Millersville decided the fate of their future. After a hard fought 2-2 split into extra time, the two teams battled in out in a shootout for a position in the playoffs. The Mounties came out victorious as a 3-2 result favored the red and black to secure their first ever home playoff game in program history and their first postseason run since 2019. 
 

COACH HANSROTE ON THE SEASON 
"We've reached the highest ranking in program history. We've reached 50 wins. We had goals that we set for this year, and we've reached all of them. You think back to the preseason poll, we're picked eighth and now we've finished fourth. We always knew how good we were and it was never about talking the talk, we were going to walk the walk."

TEAM SUCCESS 

• Esterling is tied for sixth in the nation in goals with 14 on the season. She also finds herself tied for tenth in points with 32. Her 32 points places her tied for sixth in Mansfield's single-season history. 

• Kenedy Stroup is currently tied for sixth in Division II in assists with 10. She is also two away from breaking the single-season school record for assists.  

• August Lewis set the single-season shutout record for the program with her seventh shutout against IUP. She currently sits tied for third for wins in the season with ten. 
• Esterling, Lewis, Saramae Radel, and Kalin Duke will all represent as the first players in program history to make two appearances in the PSAC Playoff Tournament.

• The team is ranked top ten in Division II in multiple categories: 
  Penalty Corners – Fourth (183) 
  Shutouts – Fifth (7)  
  Scoring Margin – Seventh (1.66) 
  Points Per Game – Eighth (8.00) 
  Goals – Ninth (53) 

TEAM SEASON RECORDS 

On top of a magical season, the team has already placed themselves in multiple categories of the program's record book: 

• Opponent Goals Allowed: 24 – Tied for second all-time 

• Goals Scored: 54 – Third all-time 

• Assists: 30 – Third all-time 

• Wins: 11 – Tied third all-time 

• Penalty Corners: 183 – Fourth all-time 

2023 PSAC PLAYOFFS INFORMATION 

The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference's 2023 Field Hockey Championship tournament begins Tuesday, Oct. 31, with six total teams qualifying. The Tuesday quarterfinals feature a matchup between No. 3 seed Kutztown and No. 6 seed IUP scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Kutztown, with the other matchup between No. 4 seed and host Mansfield and No. 5 seed Bloomsburg scheduled for 4:00 p.m. 

The winner of Kutztown/IUP advances to face No. 2 seed Shippensburg in the semifinals on Nov. 3, while the winner of Mansfield/Bloomsburg matches up with No. 1 East Stroudsburg with those game times yet to be announced.