"I don't think we really acknowledge it that much. I think we just try to be present, be where our feet are, and think about the next opponent."Our goal is to win every single play that we have in front of us, and that is a testament to the hard work of the women on the team, our staff, the support of the entire administration and athletics just being behind women's lacrosse."Junior defender Molly Atwell echoed her coach's approach. saying the team is more focused on executing than simply winning.More: Pocono great Sebastian Joseph-Day to host youth football camp at Stroudsburg"It's less about the outcome, and it's how we're gonna get there.

Focusing on the little moments, the plays, and executing those things, that's how we get where we are," Atwell said. "Honestly, being undefeated sounds great, but it never felt like that was the goal. It just feels like we're just executing.

I think all of us can appreciate that."There are factors that help contextualize the success of ESU women's lacrosse, but the biggest one happens before a single stick is picked up or jersey put on. This year's team made a concerted, purposeful effort to bond as a team.It's not that team bonding is a new concept, but for the players that have been a part of teams with positive chemistry, they see the value in that and made sure to have that this year."The juniors this year took this huge initiative to say 'We are going to hang out. We're gonna force this upon each other.

We're gonna make them be my best friend,'" Barakos-Yoder said. "You can tell the difference when a team is really bonded off of the field and have trust, and we play opponents who are not."Even though such efforts are well-meaning, it's not always a guarantee that the rest of the players will buy in. For ESU, however, the buy-in was there."Like coach said, we hang out a lot, but it's never forced.

That's a huge detail for us," sophomore attacker Sadie Kauffman said. "If we get a text saying 'Let's go make s'mores,' no one is responding 'Oh, I really wanted to do this instead.' Everybody wanted to go."Barakos-Yoder has coached teams that are coach-led, where the head coach has to be the catalyst for inspiration and motivation.

But she said she doesn't have to do that this year as East Stroudsburg is player led — the players are taking the opportunity into their own hands and making the most of it.Positive camaraderie, dedication to the process and that internal fire has ESU on the verge of an accomplishment it has yet to reach in program history.ESU women's lacrosse's two-way tenacityOffensively, East Stroudsburg has one of the most potent offenses in all of Division II, being one of only three schools with over 300 goals as a team, and the only team in the conference.The offense is headlined by Kauffman, whose 82 goals leads the conference by a wide margin and currently leads the country in goals scored. But she is far from the only offensive threat on the team: junior Ariana Tucci is second on the team (and in the conference) with 55 goals, and Jolee Roth and Paige Moreland are both top-5 in the PSAC in assists while approaching 30 goals each."We need each other," Kauffman said.

"I need them to score like they need me to score. Off the bench too, we have a lot of good players coming in that work well with our starters."Kauffman added that many players are often at the field an hour, or even two hours, early to get extra reps in to build that trust, along with the bonding off the field, whether that's grabbing dinner together or going to get ice cream. And it's those off-field moments that help solidify trust."We were talking about earlier this season how, even if there's only about an inch of space, like, you still should trust your person by throwing them the ball, they're gonna catch it," Kauffman said.

"You just have to think of the positives, because if you think of the negatives, the negatives are gonna happen."Defensively, ESU has shut the water off on almost every team they've played, allowing double-digit goals only once in 16 games. Only Slippery Rock, which is ranked ahead of ESU in the national standings, has allowed less goals in the PSAC. Atwell says the team is comfortable using man-to-man or zone defense."The key is that we're a unit," Atwell said.

"At the end of the day, we work together in everything we do. There's not one person that stands out. I think ev