Field Hockey | 11/1/2016 10:30:00 PM
The No. 2 Shippensburg University field hockey team heads to East Stroudsburg University this weekend for competition in the 2016 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament, beginning at noon Friday with a semifinal against No. 7 West Chester.
Ticket prices have been set by the PSAC at $10 for adults and $5 for students for all rounds of the tournament. Any students of PSAC schools receive free admission with their student ID card.
Shippensburg has finished among the Top 3 in the PSAC regular season standings for 16 straight seasons and is competing in the PSAC Tournament for the 16th time in 17 years under NFHCA Hall of Fame head coach
Bertie Landes. The Raiders return to the PSAC Semifinals this season after an absence a year ago, having previously reached the PSAC Semifinals for 14 consecutive seasons.
Shippensburg's opponent on Friday, West Chester, is a far different team than the squad that lost to the Raiders 3-1 on Oct. 4. The Golden Rams have won all eight games since their loss to the Raiders, out-scoring the opposition 30-7 in that span. In fact, WCU has scored three or more goals in seven of its last eight games.
The Golden Rams will put the No. 1-ranked Raider defense to the test. Shippensburg has allowed just six goals in 18 games, posting shutouts in all but five contests this season. Redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper
Ally Mooney has been stellar, yielding just five goals in nearly 1,300 minutes of action, while senior
Taylor Fisher has been among the anchors along the back lines.
Shippensburg has allowed just four goals in regulation this season: one in the first half (scored by West Chester), and three in the second half. Both of SU's losses this year have come in overtime.
Senior
Katelyn Grazan has paced the Raider offense with nine goals, including five game-winners. Seven different Raiders have scored a game-winning goal on the year, including all three tallies on the year for junior
Kylie Huffman.
Ironically, this is the first time that West Chester and Shippensburg will face each other in the PSAC Tournament. The two teams have met multiple times in the NCAA Tournament, most recently in the 2012 national semifinals.
SU is looking to reverse its fortune in conference tournament matches -- as the Raiders are 14-24 all-time in the PSAC Championships dating back to 1979. SU's lone PSAC title came in 2005.
The winner of Friday's semifinal matches will play for the PSAC title at 1 p.m. Sunday from East Stroudsburg.
