The Shippensburg University lacrosse team came up short on Saturday in its road game at No. 22 Mercyhurst, as the Lakers posted a 15-7 victory over the Raiders in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) matchup from Tullio Field in Erie.
 
Shippensburg (3-4, 0-3 PSAC) could not overcome a first half in which it scored just one goal, as Mercyhurst (4-2, 3-0) raced out to a 10-1 halftime lead. The Raiders scored the first three goals of the second half and held the Lakers scoreless for 10 minutes to get back into the game, but could not get closer than a six-goal deficit the rest of the way. SU out-scored Mercyhurst in the second half, 6-5.
 
Junior Valerie Hertz was once again a dynamic presence on the field – leading all players with eight groundballs. Hertz also recorded four caused turnovers and three draw controls.
 
Senior Jordan Kengor totaled a career-high four points, including goals in each half, to pace the Raider offense. Kengor assisted on two second-half tallies. She also recorded a groundball and a caused turnover.
 
Freshman Jena MacDonald totaled three assists – she leads the Raiders with 15 assists through the first seven games of the season. Junior Morgan Stone had a goal, two groundballs and a caused turnover.
 
A total of six Raiders found the back of the net on the day, as senior Kathleen Mirgon, freshman Alana Cardaci and freshman Kami Holt each scored a goal on their lone shots of the contest. Allison Fugate scored SU's first goal of the second half.
 
Junior Madi Newman paced the Raiders with four draw controls. Newman also recorded two caused turnovers and three groundballs. Also in the midfield, freshman Maddy Siejk had two caused turnovers and two groundballs.
 
Senior Makenzie Magnotta bolstered the back lines with three groundballs and a caused turnover. Freshman Madi Jones totaled three caused turnovers.
 
Freshman goalkeeper KiKi Brasher made nine saves for the Raiders. Brasher has made at least eight saves in six of the team's seven games this season.
 
Mercyhurst was dynamic from the center circle, posting a 16-8 advantage in draw controls (10-2 in the first half). Shots were 29-20 in the Lakers' favor, but the Raiders managed slight advantages in groundballs (23-21) and caused turnovers (16-15). Angelina Simon led all players with six goals for the Lakers. Simon, Kira Kolb and Kristin Anderson combined for 14 MU draw controls in the contest.
 
Saturday's game marked the closest margin between the two teams since the 2013 season. The Lakers have now won 12 straight games in the all-time series.
 
Shippensburg will host Kutztown at 4 p.m. Tuesday from Robb Sports Complex. The match was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but was bumped up a day earlier this season in order to allow the Raiders to play at Georgian Court in a makeup game on Thursday.