Shippensburg University women’s lacrosse clashed with two nationally ranked teams this week, falling just short of mounting two second-half comebacks.
Tuesday’s matchup featured the Raiders and the 16th ranked Lock Haven University. The Raiders fell early, allowing four goals in the opening three minutes. SU’s head coach Nicole Miller called a timeout to settle her team down, effectively slowing the pace of the game to try to turn the ship around.
“We kind of came out slow on our heels,” Miller said. “We know how to play lacrosse and we were missing that the first few minutes of the game.”
Miller’s message to the team broke through, and the players came out with fire to flip the script.
SU’s Jordan Kengor sliced through the defense to draw a foul, allowing her to reset and thread the ball through a sea of sticks for Shippensburg’s first marker on the day. On the ensuing play, Amanda Frank drove to the net again, drawing another penalty for the Raiders. SU’s Maggie Lawshe finished the play to cut the Bald Eagles’ lead in half.
The teams went back and forth trading goals, with the Raiders’ offense beginning to benefit from its lengthy possessions and capitalizing on its scoring chances. Allison Fugate’s missile of a shot found the twine with a few minutes remaining before halftime to solidify the pressure put on by the Raiders.
After outplaying the Bald Eagles for the majority of the second half, SU eventually closed the gap to trail Lock Haven by just a goal. The Raiders traded goals with Lock Haven, but ultimately fell short from completing the comeback, 14–11.
“This team has always played a full 60 minutes,” Miller said. “This team has heart and hustle and they play with it every single game.”
Saturday’s Make-A-Wish game against Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) again was the product of a rocky start, which left the team reeling for a response. The Raiders found that response in Ali Harclerode. Harclerode’s shot found the net to stop the bleeding at 8–1, IUP, late in the first half.
The Raiders’ defense locked down on the No. 18 Crimson Hawks to push the pace and get back to their game. IUP spent the next 20 minutes unable to break through the Raider defense, allowing Shippensburg to climb back into the game.
With the momentum lifting their sails, the Raiders responded with the next three goals to cut IUP’s lead in half, 8–4. That is as close as SU would come though, as IUP’s goaltender Angela Lontoc shut the door, posting save after save to close out a Shippensburg comeback.
Lontoc finished the game with 16 saves, a high mark that has not been matched in a PSAC game since 2011.
The game finished 11–5, IUP, but the score was not indicative of how tightly contested this contest was.
“Our defense stepped up and we were able to get the ball back in the net a few more times, but that’s really what these types of games are,” Miller said. “It has to come down to heart and hustle.”
Halftime for SU may have been the highlight of the game, though, with last year’s Make-A-Wish star James Dawson and his family taking the field to speak about their life since they came to SU last year. Miller presented Dawson with his very own lacrosse stick to cap off his Make-A-Wish journey.
“Make-A-Wish is such a great foundation,” Miller said. “It’s a foundation that I’ve always been close with and just being able to see Jay out here laughing and having a good time and be with my players just brightens their day.”
SU returns to action today at Millersville University.
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