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SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Shippensburg University field hockey program will be hosting an autograph and greeting session on Saturday afternoon with three members of the United States Olympic Field Hockey team that competed this summer in Beijing. Before the autograph session, the No. 3-ranked Lady Raiders will renew their storied rivalry with the No. 1-ranked Bloomsburg Huskies at noon from Robb Sports Complex.

Shippensburg assistant field hockey coach Angie Loy (Loysville/West Perry '00/Old Dominion '05) will be joined on Saturday afternoon by midfielder Dana Sensenig (Denver/Cocalico '03/Old Dominion '07) and defender Sara Silvetti (Wapwallopen/Crestwood '00/Maryland '05). The dynamic trio entered the 2008 Summer Olympic games having logged 223 international caps between them.
 
Loy joined the Shippensburg coaching staff upon her return from Beijing in September, where she scored four goals for the United States in six games. A 2005 graduate of Old Dominion, she finished her collegiate career with 77 goals and was a two-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) First Team All-American. With the U.S. Olympic squad, Loy has logged 113 international caps - fifth most among current team members. 

Sensenig is a 2007 graduate of Old Dominion University who has been associated with the USA Field Hockey program since 2004. She concluded her college career as a four-time NFHCA All-American who totaled 54 goals in her final three seasons. Sensenig scored a goal in the final game against Spain and has now logged 53 international caps.

Silvetti is a 2005 graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park who has been with the national team since her collegiate career ended. She was a second-team NFHCA All-American in 2004 and helped guide the Terrapins to back-to-back NCAA semifinal appearances. Silvetti was an alternate in Beijing and has logged 69 international caps.

As for the exciting game beforehand, the two teams have met 11 times over the past four seasons with Bloomsburg holding a 7-4 edge in the series. This is the first-ever meeting between the two teams that is not considered a conference game, as an offseason re-alignment has forced Shippensburg into the Western Division while Bloomsburg ranks atop the Eastern Division.

The storied rivalry between the Lady Raiders and the Huskies grew particularly strong in the 2004 season. On September 9, the two teams were tied after 100 minutes of competition and engaged in a penalty stroke-off. Bloomsburg came away with a 4-3 victory in that game, but on October 2 the Lady Raiders scratched and clawed their way to a 2-1 road win with two second-half goals. 

In the 2005 season the teams engaged in two of the all-time classic matches in Division II field hockey history.  Shippensburg and Bloomsburg met four times during the season, exchanging victories in regular season home matches, but the two post-season meetings between the teams exemplified the pinnacle of Division II Field Hockey.

On October 29, the two teams met in the PSAC Championship game at Robb Sports Complex and the Lady Raiders capped a raucous tournament by overcoming a 3-0 halftime deficit with five second-half goals to edge Bloomsburg 5-4 for Shippensburg's first conference championship in school history.

In the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championship, the Huskies exacted their revenge with a thrilling 1-0 victory despite being out-shot 13-5 and allowing 11 penalty corners. The night game was played under the lights in front of the largest crowd in the history of Robb Sports Complex, as a capacity turnout of nearly 1,000 fans packed the gates to watch the contest.

In 2006, Bloomsburg took all three games in the season series, including a 1-0 victory over Shippensburg in the PSAC Championship game. The Huskies finished that season with a perfect record and won the National Championship in Pensacola, Fla.

Last year, the teams each won road contests during the regular season. After Bloomsburg defeated the Lady Raiders 3-2 in overtime on September 22 at Shippensburg, the Lady Raiders rebounded to hand the Huskies their worst loss of the season with a 6-2 victory at Bloomsburg on October 17.

To make a media request, interested parties should contact the sports information office at 717-477-1201 or e-mail interim sports information director Bill Morgal at wjmorgal@ship.edu.