The Shippensburg University lacrosse team survived a second-half onslaught from host Kutztown on Tuesday to win a pivotal Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) road match, as the Raiders defeated the Golden Bears, 15-14, from Andre Reed Stadium.
 
Shippensburg (5-1, 1-1 PSAC) raced out to a 10-6 halftime advantage – its second-most goals scored in the first half this season. SU scored six goals in the final 6:21 of the opening half to stake its lead. Senior Ali Harclerode scored all four of her goals on the day by halftime.
 
Kutztown (4-1, 0-1) continually clawed away at its deficit but still trailed by three goals, 15-12, with 3:53 remaining. The Golden Bears scored twice in a 12-second span to get within one goal at the 1:13 mark and won the ensuing draw.
 
KU appeared to tie the game with 10 seconds left, but the potential game-tying goal was nullified by the referees, who struck the tally and issued a turnover due to multiple offensive players dropping their sticks immediately following the goal.
 
The Golden Bears out-shot the Raiders by 12 on Tuesday, 35-23. Sophomore goalkeeper Bridgette Morrissey was key, making a career-high 13 saves en route to her fourth victory of the season.
 
SU also managed the victory despite the hosts posting a 22-9 edge on the draw, including a 13-1 margin in the second half.
 
The Raider defense forced 30 Kutztown turnovers on Tuesday; SU has forced its opponents into at least 23 turnovers in all six games this season. Sophomore Valerie Hertz had six caused turnovers – giving her 21 over the last four games. Hertz also had six groundballs and assisted on SU's final tally – a goal by junior Allison Fugate.
 
Harclerode had three caused turnovers, two groundballs and an assist. Senior Annemarie Cericola led the Raiders with seven groundballs, while senior Julia Wise recorded four groundballs. Senior Max Barkley had five of SU's nine draw controls on the day.
 
Fugate had five points on the day, notching her second hat trick of the season to go along with two assists. Senior Amanda Frank had two goals and four assists – she now leads the team with 12 assists this season. Sophomore Madi Newman had two goals, three assists and three groundballs, while junior Jordan Kengor also scored twice.
 
Sophomores Morgan Stone and Kyra Shank also scored goals – with Stone recording the game's first tally for the second straight contest. Freshman Morgan Whiteside had an assist.

Kutztown got six goals from Sarah Gabriele, but only one of those came in the final 25 minutes. SU shifted its defensive strategy during the game and assigned freshman Morgan Schantz to defend Gabriele down the stretch, helping to limit the KU attacker in the final minutes. 
 
Shippensburg returns to action a week from today when it hosts Lock Haven at 4 p.m. in a PSAC clash from Robb Sports Complex.