LOUISVILLE – The No. 3-seeded Shippensburg University field hockey team scored twice in the first half Friday to defeat No. 2 seed East Stroudsburg, 2-1, in the 2017 NCAA Division II Field Hockey Semifinals from O.B. Frazier Stadium on the campus of Bellarmine University.
 
The victory puts the Raiders in the 2017 NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championship game at 11 a.m. Sunday, where they will have a rematch of last year's national championship game with LIU Post. The No. 1 seed Pioneers defeated No. 5 seed Millersville, 3-0, in Friday's other semifinal.
 
Shippensburg (15-4) dominated possession for much of first half against East Stroudsburg (17-4), taking four corners and tallying nine shots (seven on goal). Overall, SU finished with a 10-4 advantage in penalty corners and an 11-4 edge in shots on goal in defeating the Warriors for the second time in three meetings this season.   
 
The Raiders went to work just after the opening whistle, forcing ESU to make key defensive plays to thwart the Raider attack. Shippensburg's first great opportunity came nine minutes in when senior Emily Barnard had a chance in front that East Stroudsburg goalkeeper Halle Frisco was able to stop.
 
Just one minute later, senior Mary Spisak appeared to give the Raiders a 1-0 advantage but the goal was waved off by the officials to keep the game scoreless. Shippensburg would generate two more chances, one from senior Lauren Zengulis and another from Barnard that Frisco would stop to keep the game scoreless with 15 minutes gone in the first half.
 
The Raiders would finally breakthrough in the 17th minute when a penalty corner taken by freshman Caitlyn Wink was delivered to Barnard whose stick stop and redirect went towards Petrantonio. The Argentinian freshman forward wasted no time in firing it past Frisco to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead – her 11th goal of the season.
 
Five minutes later, SU faced some adversity and was forced to defend one player down after Petrantonio was assessed a green card in the 22nd minute. Redshirt-junior goalkeeper Ally Mooney made a key save in that stretch of time to keep the 1-0 lead in place.
 
The Raiders added to their lead in the 32nd minute when Spisak beat Frisco to her stick side from eight yards out after receiving a pass from Barnard. It was Spisak's 10th goal of the season, marking the first time in her collegiate career the senior reached the double-digit goal mark in a season.
 
East Stroudsburg would not go down without a fight however, pressuring the Raiders early in the second half. Mooney made a diving save in the 47th minute on a Bailey Quinn shot to keep the Raider advantage at two goals.
 
However, Quinn would find the back of the net just two minutes later with a nifty deflection in the crease off an assist from Ashley Ceschini. It was Quinn's team-leading 13th goal of the year.
 
After SU allowed the goal by Quinn, however, the Raider defense did not allow a shot the rest of the game. The Raiders were also able to prevent East Stroudsburg from attempting a penalty corner the entire second half.
 
SU improved to 16-0 this season when it scores at least one goal. The Raiders, who lead the nation in penalty corners per game, totaled double-digit corners for the 16th time in 20 matches this season.
 
The Raiders improved to 10-10 all-time in the NCAA Division II Field Hockey Tournament.
 
Shippensburg will be playing Sunday in its fourth NCAA Division II Championship game in school history. SU defeated LIU Post last season, 2-1, in Massachusetts. In 2013, SU defeated LIU Post in overtime, 2-1, in Virginia. In 2010, SU played at the site of Sunday's final, Trager Stadium (University of Louisville), and dropped a 1-0 result to Massachusetts-Lowell.
 
Sunday's game will begin at 11 a.m. and be broadcast live on ncaa.com.