ERIE, Pa. – The No. 1-ranked Shippensburg University field hockey team established a new school record for consecutive wins on Wednesday afternoon from Mercyhurst College, achieving its 17th-straight victory with a 6-1 defeat of the Lakers.

Shippensburg (17-0, 8-0 PSAC West) surpassed its previous streak of 16 consecutive wins that was recorded at the start the 2005 season. Wednesday's win also marks the second straight season that Shippensburg has finished divisional play with an unblemished record.

The Lady Raiders outscored their divisional opponents this season by a 36-4 margin and have won 18 consecutive PSAC West matches dating back to Oct. 8, 2008.

Junior Katie Pufnock opened the scoring Wednesday at 9:26 off an excellent pass by freshman Katie Shoop. It marks the 13th time in 17 games this season that the Lady Raiders have scored a goal in the first 10 minutes of a match.

With just over 10 minutes remaining in the first half, junior Kristina Taylor recorded a goal for the highlight reels, avoiding two defenders and changing direction for a breakaway that ended with her 15th goal of the season.

Less than two minutes before the intermission, SU capitalized on one of its 23 penalty corners when sophomore Ashley Taylor caged her 10th goal of the season off an assist from sophomore Emily Kohlbus.

SU added three more goals in the second half – all in an 18-minute span. Kristina Taylor added her second of the game at 39:35 off an assist from Pufnock. Senior Amanda Strous scored six minutes later with sophomore Taylor Jones earning the assist. Sophomore Kerry Senderling rounded out SU's scoring with her second goal of the season at 53:00. Kohlbus contributed an assist on the play.

Entering Wednesday's match, Shippensburg led the PSAC in scoring average, goals per game, goals-against average, scoring margin, shutouts and points. SU has outscored the opposition by a 78-14 margin – allowing one goal or less in 15 of its 17 matches.

The victory was No. 380 in the storied career of head coach Bertie Landes – the active wins leader among Division II head coaches. She has posted a 196-54-1 mark with the Lady Raiders, a record that equates to a .783 winning percentage. The team has also clinched a PSAC tournament appearance for the 11th time in 12 years under Landes, including 10-in-a-row.

Shippensburg has three games remaining in the regular season. The Lady Raiders continue their road trip at 1 p.m. Saturday against No. 8 Millersville.

Notes: Kristina Taylor's goals were the 53rd and 54th of her career, moving her info fifth-place in school history past hall of famer Melissa Nash '94.