Shippensburg took an emotional victory this Saturday over the Seton Hill University Griffins, with a score of 5–0.
A presentation was held before Saturday’s game in the remembrance of former player and coach, Amanda Strous. Fans piled into Robb Sports Complex donning purple shirts, hats and balloons in Strous’ honor. Before the game, head coach Bertie Landes and Strous’ parents presented a scholarship in remembrance of Strous.
The players, who all wore purple socks and bows for Strous, were determined to cap off the day with a victory.
The first half was a back-and-forth stalemate, with neither team willing to give an inch. But, in the 19th minute of the game, senior and leading scorer Katelyn Grazan ripped a shot past the Seton Hill goaltender, giving the Raiders a lead they would not give up. With chances at both ends, SU headed into the second half knowing it needed to insulate goalkeeper Ally Mooney.
SU flipped the switch heading into the second half and never looked back.
The team came out blazing, scoring four goals in a span of less than 12 minutes.
The momentum SU took into the second half was palpable. The second the ball dropped, it was relentless pressure in the attacking third. Shippensburg was able to display its quick strike offense, scoring a pair of insurance goals just 30 seconds apart to extend its lead to a seemingly insurmountable advantage.
The Griffins could not keep Grazan off the score sheet. She tallied the first two goals of the game and added the final goal of the game off of a tap-in deflection.
Fellow senior Cassie Rawa torched the Griffins’ defense, scoring a goal of her own and assisting on two others. But, as dominant as SU was offensively, the storyline for the Raiders this season has been its ability to keep the ball out of the net.
You cannot win if you do not score, and the veteran defense has been nothing short of stellar for coach Landes this season.
In just eight games, the Raiders have managed to record six shutouts, not even giving the majority of its opponents a chance to win. Since dropping its first loss of the season in overtime to East Stroudsburg University, the Raiders have rallied off two more wins to solidify their bid as Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Champions this season.
The No. 3 ranked Raiders will head to Lynchburg, Virginia, on Monday for an out-of-conference match at Limestone, their first non-conference game in three weeks.
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