The Shippensburg University lacrosse team completed an early-season upset Wednesday afternoon, beating No. 21 Seton Hill by a 10-9 score, in what was a nail-biter the whole way through.
Shippensburg (2-1) struggled defensively to begin the game and trailed the Griffins 7-2 with 10 minutes left in the first half. The Raiders then flipped the script and held Seton Hill (2-1) to only two goals over the remaining 40 minutes.
Sophomores Hannah Seifried and Gabby Savarino continued to be dominant offensively for SU as they each added hat tricks to their already impressive totals on the young season. Savarino scored the winning goal with 8:51 left in regulation.
Junior Alana Cardaci also contributed two goals for the Raiders, while junior Jena MacDonald and sophomore Hannah Raines each added one goal on the afternoon.
Shippensburg received a boost on the defensive side from freshman goalkeeper Ally Weneta, as she recorded nine saves on the day, most of which came in the second half. She also tallied seven groundballs for the Raiders.
Even though the Griffins posted a 15-6 edge in draw controls, SU took the upper hand in turnovers with 15, compared to Seton Hill’s 21.
The win comes as a nice bounce-back for Shippensburg, as last year’s match against the Griffins ended in an 18-10 defeat. The Raiders also now boast a 2-0 record on the road to start the new season.
The momentum from Wednesday did not continue in Saturday’s game for SU, as they fell to No. 23 New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) 18-6, giving the Raiders their second loss at home this season.
Nothing seemed to go right for the Raiders Saturday as they looked out of sync on both the offensive and defensive sides of the field.
NYIT (2-0) kicked off the game with a quick 4-0 run, before SU’s Seifried and Savarino notched their only goals on the day, ending their three-game hat trick streaks.
A group of players fight for the ball in front of the NYIT net in the loss on Saturday afternoon. The Raiders totaled 24 shots and six goals against NYIT.
The Bears controlled the remainder of the first half by going on a 5-0 run and giving themselves an 11-2 lead at halftime.
While the Shippensburg offense doubled its point total in the second half, it was still not enough. SU’s MacDonald scored the first goal for the Raiders with 25:39 remaining in regulation. Sophomore Sydney Costanza would then find the back of the net as well, notching her second goal on the young season.
Alana Cardaci also contributed two goals on the afternoon, giving her the team high for the game.
NYIT’s Shannon Donovan was the major issue for the Raiders’ defense. She finished the day with seven goals, five of which came in the first half. Jaclyn Grzelaczyk also gave the Bears a boost on offense, totaling four goals.
The loss leaves the Raiders winless against NYIT over the past two years.
Shippensburg will look to continue its hot streak on the road next Friday when the Raiders travel to take on the Lock Haven Bald Eagles at 4 p.m.
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