Box Score

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - Sophomore Rachael Murray scored five goals and recorded her first assist of the season while the Shippensburg women's lacrosse team stymied visiting IUP in the second half en route to a 12-7 victory in a PSAC crossover on a sunny Saturday afternoon from Robb Sports Complex.

Shippensburg (8-6) played an even first half with the Crimson Hawks, a squad that just two days ago led in the second half of its match with nationally-ranked Lock Haven. The difference proved to be the stifling Lady Raider defense that limited IUP to just two second-half goals and no tallies over the final 20 minutes of play.

Indiana (3-7) led by 3-2 and 4-3 margins in the first half before Murray scored two goals in a six-minute span and assisted on a goal by freshman Lauren Hauck to give the Lady Raiders a two-goal lead. The Crimson Hawks tied the game just 35 seconds into the second half but only scored one more time in the game.

The Lady Raiders were simply dominant in many of the crucial aspects of Saturday's game, forcing 32 turnovers and grabbing 28 groundballs to maintain the territorial edge. Junior Gayle Kuntzmann, who scored twice, picked up five groundballs and had four of Shippensburg's 22 caused turnovers.

Senior Hannah Taylor scored twice for the Lady Raiders while senior Beth Long and freshman Katie Brewer also added tallies in the victory. Juniors Liz DiNunno and Sarah Petrucci each had three groundballs and a caused turnover, while senior Kelsey Browning had three of SU's seven draw controls.

Despite the five-goal defeat, IUP goalkeeper Katie Lee was rock solid in goal, making 19 saves while picking up four groundballs. Her defense helped keep the Crimson Hawks close during the second half before Shippensburg pulled away.

Freshman Meghan Kearney was an anchor as well, defending the Shippensburg cage with six saves while picking up four groundballs and causing two turnovers with excellent defensive reads. She earned her eighth victory of the season, the most by a Lady Raider freshman since current junior Lauren Marron had eight wins during the 2007 season.

Shippensburg returns to action on Tuesday with an all-important PSAC Eastern Division contest from Bloomsburg that will begin at 4 p.m. The Lady Raiders are tied in third place with ESU, one game behind the Huskies for second place. The top three teams from each division qualify for the PSAC Tournament.