SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University field hockey team erased a first-half deficit on Saturday with six unanswered goals, including a hat trick by sophomore Emily Barnard and three assists from sophomore Kylie Huffman, as the Raiders posted a 6-1 victory over Seton Hill on a rainy, grey day at Robb Sports Complex.
 
Shippensburg (3-1) posted a 23-7 advantage in shots and a 12-3 edge in penalty corners. Play was delayed for 30 minutes with 25:46 remaining in regulation due to lightning in the area, and the contest was played in a steady rain – particularly during the first half.
 
Barnard's hat trick is the first by an SU player since Tori Ricker achieved the feat last season at Southern Connecticut on Sept. 7, 2014. Huffman's three assists are the most in a single game by an SU player since Bre White had four in a victory over Mansfield on Oct. 13, 2012.
 
Seton Hill (0-3) opened the scoring 19 minutes into the contest when Emily Hutsko used her stick to re-direct home a hard cross from Dominique Cappello.
 
Five minutes later, Barnard scored her first of three goals on the day by directing a shot into the lower right portion of the goal after receiving a pass from Huffman.
 
SU took a 2-1 lead into halftime after freshman Brooke Zeiders caged her first collegiate tally just 80 seconds before the intermission. Barnard assisted on the goal; she finished the day with four points.
 
Less than two minutes into the second half, junior Kendall Beck made it 3-1 by finishing a Huffman pass from inside the arc. Senior Ari Saytar scored with 16 minutes remaining off a Huffman feed to make the score 4-1.
 
Barnard clinched the win with two goals in the final 12 minutes. Her first came by hammering home the rebound off a shot by senior Molly Stuart that was stopped by the SHU keeper. She completed her hat trick by finishing her own rebound with 3:35 to play.
 
Senior Taylor Webster made two saves in the victory, while junior Taylor Fisher contributed a key defensive save in the second half.
 
Shippensburg hosts Slippery Rock at 2 p.m. Tuesday in a non-conference contest at Robb Sports Complex. It is the third of four mandated matches against PSAC opponents that do not count toward the league standings.