Box Score

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The No. 3-ranked Shippensburg field hockey team took the No. 1 team in the nation to overtime in the semifinals of the 2008 Division II National Championships but could not hold off the top-ranked Huskies, dropping a 3-2 decision on a misty Friday afternoon from Sports Stadium.  

The decisive goal came with 2:33 remaining in the first overtime period, as Bloomsburg junior forward Maggie Bloskey connected for her third goal of the game on a penalty corner opportunity by deflecting a shot from Chelsea Due into the cage.

The contest was the epitome of a Division II Championship contest, with two of the best teams in the nation battling tooth and nail to the final whistle. Both teams constantly exchanged the territorial advantage and emotions were rampant before a raucous crowd of 447 fans at Sports Stadium.

"I'm really proud of where we've come," said head coach Bertie Landes, whose Lady Raiders finished as national semifinalists for the third time in school history after earning their first-ever NCAA tournament victory last weekend at IUP. "The passion and the purpose that we played with is unparalleled, and we played a very even contest against the best team in the nation."

Shippensburg (18-5) took a 2-1 lead with 22:51 remaining in regulation when senior Dani Haas blasted a shot into the cage off an assist from fellow senior Carolyn Swift on the team's first penalty corner of the game. The Lady Raiders fought off a fevered attack from the Huskies until the 8:17 mark, when Bloskey scored her second goal of the game off an assist from Jamie Vanartsdalen to the tie the score at 2-2. 

Bloomsburg (22-1) came terribly close to winning the game in regulation, hitting the goalpost with a shot at the 18:00 mark and earning a penalty corner at the end of regulation that was thwarted by the Lady Raider defense. Junior Amanda Houser posted yet another stellar effort in goal, making four saves in the contest.

In the first half, the Huskies opened the scoring on their first penalty corner opportunity of the game. A blistering shot from Due was expertly re-directed by Bloskey at 26:32 to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead. Shippensburg answered with the 28th goal of the season from senior Kim Davies at 16:42 off an assist from freshman Kristina Taylor to tie the score and leave the game deadlocked at halftime.  

"We've come a long way from the beginning of the season," Landes said. "I've been in coaching for 36 years, and this is the most focused, hardest working team. I've been coaching at Shippensburg for 10 years, and this Bloomsburg team is the strongest I've seen in a long time, but today we went toe to toe with the best team in the nation."

The loss concludes a storybook career for one of the most talented senior classes in Shippensburg history. Davies, Haas, Swift, Natalie Faith and Jenna Blain finished their Lady Raider careers having played in 393 career games and making 257 starts.    

Davies, the 2008 PSAC Western Division Player of the Year, finished with the second-most goals in a single season in school history by totaling 28 through the team's 23 games. She is just the third different player in SU history to total at least 20 goals in a season, and finished just two goals short of the school record of 30 in one season that was set by Ashley Watt in 2005. For her career, Davies is second in school history with 72 career goals and 171 points, having played in 88 career games and making 74 starts. 

Haas has totaled 23 goals and 14 assists for 60 career points as a Lady Raider. She has appeared in 76 games and made 50 starts, including all 43 games over the last two seasons. Dani has five career game-winning goals to her credit, was second on the team this season with 10 assists and one of the most valuable and intimidating defenders in school history.

Swift has appeared in 75 career games and made 51 starts, including 43 consecutive dating back to the start of the 2007 season. Swift finished with 12 points this season, having scored two goals and recorded eight assists. She has also scored five career goals. Her leadership and valuable presence in the midfield has been integral to the success of the Lady Raiders.

Blain's tenacious defense has been characterized by hard work and has solidified a backfield that allowed just 23 goals in the regular season. She started in all 23 of the team's games this season and appeared in 88 games in her career, making 55 starts. Blain also concluded her career by appearing in 66 consecutive games along the backline. 

Faith had her best season to date in her final campaign with the Lady Raiders, totaling six goals and a team-high 12 assists for 24 points. She started in 19 of her 20 appearances this season and for her career has played in 66 games while making 27 starts. Faith finished with 10 career goals and 15 assists for 35 points.

"From the end of last season, this group of seniors really stepped it up," Landes said of the five seniors. "Of all my teams, this group of seniors are the closest to me."