It was a tale of two different versions of the Shippensburg University women’s soccer team this week as it split two Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) games against Shepherd and Kutztown Universities.
On Wednesday, Shippensburg (4-4, 2-4 PSAC) got their week started out on the right foot with a 4-0 shutout of Shepherd (0-6-1, 0-6 PSAC) on the road.
The Raiders had a 1-0 lead at the half thanks to a header by junior Casey Bell in the game’s 31st minute. The goal came off a great assist from sophomore Kelli Dunagan.
The game was tight in the first half due to the Rams’ goalkeeping duo of Lulu Fricks and Meghan Byers who each had four saves in the match.
Shippensburg was able to pull away with a strong effort in the second half that saw the team score three goals in a span of 16 minutes. Sophomore K.K. O’Donnell, freshman Lauren Ocker and senior Izzy Weigel were all credited with a goal and an assist in the scoring frenzy.
Ocker’s goal was the first of her collegiate career and came on a header from O’Donnell in the 76th minute. She also assisted on a goal in the team’s 4-0 win.
The Raiders led the game 12-1 in shots, effectively dominating the game on both ends of the field. Junior goalkeeper Delaney Shifflett was credited with her third shutout of the season.
Junior Delaney Shifflett has totaled 39 saves in the past four games for SU.
However, Saturday’s contest against Kutztown (3-3, 2-3 PSAC) went down much differently than the win over Shepherd. Kutztown dominated the Raiders, defeating them 5-1. They outshot Shippensburg 30-8 and 20-4 in shots on goal.
Kutztown raced out to a 2-0 lead within the first eight minutes of the contest and was in the driver’s seat from then on.
The Golden Bears scored again early in the second half and by the 53rd minute they already had a 4-0 lead.
In the 54th minute, redshirt freshman Julia Dalton scored her first career goal, the only goal the Raiders could muster.
Shifflett recorded a career-high 15 saves in the loss.
She leads the PSAC East in saves with 60 on the year so far and has recorded double-digit saves in three of the Raiders’ last four matches.
With 10 games still to be played in the season, Shippensburg is currently tied with Kutztown University for fifth place in the PSAC East standings.
The Raiders sit in the middle of the pack in the PSAC by most metrics, inlcuding 11th out of 18 in goals scored and 8th out of 18 in goals allowed.
Shippensburg will return to the field on Wednesday night at home when they host East Stroudsburg University at David See Field at 7 p.m.
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