The No. 6-ranked Shippensburg University field hockey team scored a pair of goals in the first nine minutes of play on Saturday that proved to be the difference in a 2-1 road Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) victory at Mansfield on a cool evening at Van Norman Field.
 
Shippensburg (5-4, 2-1 PSAC) scored in the first minute of play off a penalty corner, as junior Emily Stauffer knocked home a shot by junior Jazmin Petrantonio that had hit the crossbar.
 
Eight minutes later, Petrantonio was tripped up by Mansfield goalkeeper Brittany Ryan as she made a move toward the goal and was awarded a stroke. Petrantonio converted with a shot into the lower-left of the frame, marking her 13th tally of the season and making it 2-0 in favor of the Raiders.
 
Mansfield (7-3, 1-1) hung tight with Shippensburg all game long, and got within 2-1 less than two minutes into the third quarter by scoring off a penalty corner. Through three quarters, shots-on-goal remained close (9-6 in SU's favor).
 
In the fourth quarter, the Raiders unleashed an all-out barrage on Ryan, but the All-PSAC Mountaineer goalkeeper was up to the task. Ryan made 12 saves in the fourth quarter, as the Raiders earned five corners and pumped myriad shots at the Mansfield frame over the final 15 minutes.
 
Ryan totaled 19 saves for the Mountaineers. SU finished with a 21-6 advantage in shots on goal and a 13-4 edge in penalty corners.
 
Redshirt-sophomore Megan Lay made five saves in the victory. It is the fourth time this season Lay has finished with five or more saves.
 
Shippensburg has another big match in store Tuesday, as the Raiders travel to face nationally-ranked Millersville from the Biemesderfer.