Shippensburg (15-4 overall, 11-3 PSAC) started off the playoffs against Slippery Rock (9-10 overall, 7-7 PSAC), who was the only team in the tournament not ranked in the NFHCA Coaches Division II top 10 teams.
After only the first minute of the game, senior Lucy Kauffman scored the lone goal for the Raiders, giving them the big 1-0 win.
The win advanced Shippensburg to the PSAC semi-finals to take on the No. 2 seed team in the NFHCA DII poll, the Millersville Marauders.
The Raiders and Marauders faced each other for possibly the last time this season after having two games against each other earlier in the year. The first game was on September 9th at the Robb Sports Complex. Millersville gave Shippensburg its first loss of the season in that matchup with a final score of 1-0. Shippensburg got revenge in game two when they beat the Marauders at their home turf with a final score of 2-1.
The stakes could not get any higher for this game: a shot at a PSAC Championship and a spot in the national tournament.
It was a tough battle for both teams, as nobody had home field advantage; the game was held at the campus of the No. 1 seed West Chester University. Shippensburg has lost to Millersville in the last three PSAC tournaments, including in last year’s championship game.
The Millersville defense was completely unstoppable as they held the Raiders to no shots and only one corner for the entire game. Millersville out-shot Shippensburg 6-0.
The first goal came from Alicia Youtz after eight minutes. The score was 1-0 heading into halftime. Millersville later got away with the big win after a goal by Katelyn Zapp after 47 minutes. The final score was Millersville 2, Shippensburg 0.
The PSAC championship game featured the top two teams in NCAA DII, West Chester and Millersville. West Chester moved on to clinch a spot at the national tournament, beating the Marauders 3-0. West Chester shut down East Stroudsburg 6-0 to make it to the Championship game.
However, it may not be over for the Lady Raiders. The top three teams in the regional standings move on to the National Championship bracket. Shippensburg is currently ranked third in the Atlantic region ahead of 4th-ranked Limestone University (17-3). Limestone won the Eastern College Athletic Conference DII Championship last Sunday against Bellarmine University (11-9) with a final score of 2-1.
Shippensburg will have to wait to see if they have been chosen to participate in the NCAA DII National Championships at Louisville, Kentucky.
The DII field hockey selection show is set to air on www.ncaa.com on Sunday Nov. 23 at 1 p.m.
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