The Shippensburg University women’s lacrosse team is always in for a gritty matchup when East Stroudsburg University comes to town, and Saturday’s Eastern Division contest was no exception.
The Raiders (1-6, 1-5 PSAC East) hung in with the nationally ranked Warriors (No. 12) for the first 13 minutes of the game, keeping the margin at one, before ESU garnered complete control and sent SU into halftime trailing by seven, thanks in part to a 6-0 run.
They carried that momentum into the second half, limiting the Raiders to a lone tally on the scoreboard, a 3-1 scoring edge, resulting in a 13-4 victory.
The Warriors (6-1, 5-1 PSAC East) also beat SU in all six major categories, including advantages in shots on goal (40-20), draw controls (11-8) and ground balls (25-17).
Junior Alana Cardaci opened the scoring less than a minute in, notching her 12th goal of the season. The Warriors responded with two of their own until sophomore Hannah Seifried slashed a shot into the nylon, evening the score at two.
Following two more ESU scores, Cardaci found the back of the net once more at the 17:24 mark, keeping the Raiders within striking distance. But the Warriors had other plans in mind, rattling off six straight and expanding the lead to seven at the break.
ESU’s Hannah Cicerelle accounted for the first goal in the second stanza, resulting in a game-high four goals and pushing the Warrior lead to eight. Seifried countered three minutes later, tying Cardaci for a team-high two scores. Her second half goal would round out the SU scoring.
The Warriors finished off the match with two more dashes in the scoring table, goals at the 18:20 and 5:26 marks, ending the game at 13-4.
Redshirt-sophomore KiKi Brasher and freshman Ally Weneta split goalkeeping duties, with Brasher earning the start. Through 30 minutes of action, Brasher allowed 10 goals across eight saves and took the loss. Weneta, who worked the entire second half, conceded three goals with nine saves.
Sophomore Gabby Savarino paced SU with three caused turnovers and three draw controls from the center circle. Sophomore McKenna Keller led with four ground balls, while freshman Abby Seasock and junior Jessica DeMarte each tallied an assist.
The Raiders return to action Tuesday on the road against Millersville University, before traveling to West Chester University Saturday to face the Golden Rams. Tuesday’s game is slated for 4 p.m.
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