WEST CHESTER, Pa. – The Shippensburg University field hockey team got nine saves from redshirt-senior goalkeeper Ally Mooney and a pair of goals from sophomore Jazmin Petrantonio on Friday as the Raiders defeated East Stroudsburg, 3-0, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Semifinal at Vonnie Gros Field on the campus of West Chester University.
 
Shippensburg (16-3) avenged two regular-season shutouts at the hands of East Stroudsburg (15-4) (4-0 on Sept. 19, 3-0 on Oct. 3) with a shutout of its own Friday, keeping the Warriors off the scoreboard despite being out-shot (21-12) and out-cornered (8-5).
 
Mooney's work in goal was integral to SU's success, as the senior captain eliminated angles for the Warrior attack and made several athletic stops on penalty corner opportunities. Her nine saves are one off a season high.
 
"I think Mooney played the best game of her season so far," head coach Tara Zollinger said of senior goalkeeper. "She made saves that were incredible and in key times of the game. She was able to get her players in line where we needed them, and to mark the players we needed to mark. She was able to make those adjustments that were pivotal to our success."
 
The Raiders took advantage of a five-yard violation at the end of the first half by converting an untimed penalty corner to take a 1-0 lead heading into the intermission. Petrantonio sent a hard, low shot from the top of the arc past ESU keeper Maddie Richie for her 21st goal of the season, with sophomore Sarah Womer and freshman Valen Alonso getting assists on the play by virtue of the stick stop and insertion, respectively.
 
East Stroudsburg ramped up its offensive pressure coming out of halftime, working five corners in the first 13 minutes of the second half. With 11 minutes remaining, ESU worked three more corners in a three-minute span, during which Mooney came up large with three saves in the sequence.
 
Shippensburg clinched the victory late in the match with two goals in a 1:46 span. Petrantonio fired home her 22nd of the year with 7:23 remaining before freshman Adrienne McGarrigle tipped home a feed from freshman Jody Boyer with 5:37 left. It was McGarrigle's seventh goal of the season.
 
"It's amazing the growth that this group has accomplished so far this season," Zollinger said. "I think just their preparation for this tournament has been phenomenal along with their ability to stay focused on the goals we have for this tournament."
 
The Raiders will face host West Chester in the PSAC Championship match on Sunday. SU is seeking its second conference title in school history; the lone crown came back in 2005 with a 5-4 home victory over Bloomsburg.
 
Shippensburg will be looking to improve upon a 1-10 record in PSAC Championship matches; its last appearance in the PSAC Finals came in 2016 at East Stroudsburg (2-1 loss to Millersville).
 
"What's so cool about this team is we have 20 underclassmen, and 27 super malleable players that just want to get better," Zollinger said. "Their goal is to get better every single game and they have been doing that. We're very excited with the performance we had today. We will go back, regroup and review and be ready to get back at it on Sunday."
 
UP NEXT: Sunday, 1 p.m. vs. West Chester (PSAC Championship match).