SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University lacrosse team held a halftime lead over No. 7 Mercyhurst on Saturday but could not stave off a second-half charge by the visiting Lakers, dropping a 17-6 decision in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) matchup held on Stick it to Cancer Day at Robb Sports Complex.
 
Shippensburg (3-7, 0-6 PSAC) held Mercyhurst (10-1, 7-0) off the scoreboard for the first 14-plus minutes of the contest and held the Lakers to just three first-half tallies. SU never trailed in the first half, scoring the first goal just 55 seconds in, and answering each MU goal with one of its own.
 
Mercyhurst, however, scored 12 consecutive goals to start the second half to take control of the match. Carly Zimmerman opened the second half with a natural hat trick and finished with a match-high six goals, while Kristin Anderson, a 6-2 forward, scored five goals and had nine draw controls to lead the Lakers.
 
Senior Ally Frymoyer made nine saves, including six in the first half, but was chased with 14:51 to play during the Laker scoring blitz. Freshman Aly Danick yielded the final three goals of the run and finished with two saves for the Raiders.
 
Junior Ali Harclerode led the Raiders with two goals and assisted on the opening goal of the game by junior Max Barkley. Harclerode also had two groundballs and a draw control.
 
Junior T.J. Johnson and sophomore Allison Fugate each had first-half goals. Junior Amanda Frank assisted on one of Harclerode's tallies.
 
Junior Annemarie Cericola had a highlight-reel goal in the second half, making a coast-to-coast run from the SU backfield and eventually through a host of Laker defenders – firing a shot into the top corner while being sent careening to the turf. Cericola, the PSAC's leader in groundballs per game (4.5), had four on Saturday with two caused turnovers.
 
Mercyhurst finished with a 19-6 advantage in draw controls to maintain possession for an overwhelming majority of the contest. The Lakers also out-shot the Raiders, 38-17.
 
As part of its annual Stick it to Cancer Day, SU Lacrosse collected donations for Susan G. Komen and the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC). Proceeds were split 50-50 between the two organizations.  
 
Shippensburg hosts East Stroudsburg at 4 p.m. Wednesday from Robb Sports Complex.