SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The No. 5 Shippensburg University field hockey team unleashed a second-half surge on Tuesday and nearly completed a comeback against No. 1 West Chester, but the visiting Golden Rams ultimately prevailed with a 4-2 victory over the Raiders in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) matchup from Robb Sports Complex.
 
Shippensburg (7-3, 1-2 PSAC) trailed 3-0 at halftime to West Chester (8-1, 3-0), as the Golden Rams blitzed the Raiders with three tallies in the first 21 minutes of play. Katie Thompson scored twice, while defender Caitie McNamara caged the middle first-half tally off a corner.
 
SU responded in a fury after the intermission, scoring twice in the opening 3:26 of the second half. Sophomore Jazmin Petrantonio notched her 14th goal of the season by finishing a feed from freshman Jenna Sluymer just 1:37 into the half. Less than two minutes later, junior Rosalia Cappadora scored her second collegiate goal by finishing a cross-arc pass from Sluymer on a corner.
 
The Raiders continued to apply steady pressure in the second half, but they could not find the equalizer. With 14 minutes remaining, West Chester made it 4-2 when All-American Kaitlin Hatch fired a rocket into the lower corner of the cage for the game's final tally.
 
Both goaltenders made several key stops in the contest. Redshirt-senior Ally Mooney totaled six saves for the Raiders, while reigning PSAC Athlete of the Week Marissa Elizardo was credited with seven saves for the Golden Rams. Shots on goal finished 10-9 in favor of the visitors.
 
Shippensburg finished with an 8-2 advantage in penalty corners, including a 4-0 margin in the second half.
 
Tuesday's meeting was the first between the teams since the Golden Rams claimed a 1-0 victory in the 2017 PSAC Semifinals last year at Robb Sports Complex.
 
UP NEXT: Friday, 4 p.m. at No. 6 Kutztown.