Box Score

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – A diving save by senior goalkeeper Carenna Neely on a Bloomsburg penalty stroke attempt and a goal from senior Lauren Taylor during the first half of Friday afternoon's first PSAC Semifinal sparked the No. 1 Shippensburg University field hockey team to a 1-0 shutout of the No. 6 Huskies from Robb Sports Complex.

The undefeated and top-seeded Raiders (18-0) advance to Saturday's PSAC Championship Game at 2:30 p.m. against No. 2 Millersville (the second seed), which defeated No. 4 West Chester (the third seed) 1-0 with a game-winning goal 2:20 into the first overtime in Friday's second semifinal.

SU will play in its third conference championship game in the past five seasons after recording its second 1-0 defeat of the fourth-seeded Huskies (13-7) this season. The Raiders haven't won a PSAC Championship since 2005, when they earned a memorable come-from-behind 5-4 victory over BU in the finals.

"The kids were so focused and we knew what we had to do, we had to beat them to the ball and we did that the first half," head coach Bertie Landes said after Friday's rematch of the 2011 PSAC Championship Game also held from Robb Sports Complex. "The second half I didn't think we came out as strong. But the kids really kept to the game plan of passing the ball and seeing our splits and playing good defense."

Shippensburg held a 13-7 lead in shots and an 11-5 advantage in penalty corners while the teams combined for two yellow cards and two green cards.

After an even start to the game, the Huskies were awarded a penalty stroke after an SU foul in front of the cage with 15:42 left in the first half. Bloomsburg's Brittany Mathews ripped an attempt to her left but Neely read it instantly and deflected the shot away with her outstretched stick for one of her six saves on the afternoon.

"We kinda thought that'd be where she would go," Landes said of Mathews's stopped attempt that kept the game scoreless. "But Carenna had a great jump on it."

Taylor capitalized on the momentum nearly seven minutes later with her team-leading 15th goal of the season after she sent in a penalty corner from the left side that eventually found its way back to her. Her pass toward the front of the cage was deflected back to her by the post, where she cleaned up for the lone goal of the game and the only score SU would need to advance to Saturday.

Neely recorded her fifth shutout of the season while Taylor and senior Megan Jett each tallied a team-high three shots. Senior Bre White (Hummelstown/Lower Dauphin) and junior Ari Saytar each took two shots.

Freshman Taylor Fisher made a key defensive save just over 13 minutes into the second half when she stopped a Mathews shot in front of the cage to preserve the 1-0 Raider lead.