RENTON, Wa. – The No. 2 Shippensburg University field hockey team ended its season in a heartbreaking way, falling to No. 1 East Stroudsburg, 1-0 after the Warriors scored with 36 seconds left in the game on Saturday in the NCAA Division II National Championship game held at Renton Memorial Stadium.  
 
Shippensburg (16-4) and East Stroudsburg (20-2) were neck and neck the entire game. The game was a combination of defense and midfield play, with a combined seven shots on goal between the two teams.
 
"We are extremely proud of everything they've accomplished this year," head coach Tara Zollinger said. "They set goals and achieved their goals, and while they may have come up short today, they had an amazing season full of ups and downs.
 
Zollinger added: "Most importantly, they grew their belief in themselves and each other, and that is something as a staff we hope they take with them for years to come, that self-belief. I think that is the biggest thing we grew this year and the most important thing we are taking away this season."
 
East Stroudsburg's Nicole Krozser found a pass from Jady van Gils and redirected it to the back of the cage with 36 seconds left in the clock. The Raiders stayed resilient and kept fighting till the clock ran out reaching the ESU attacking circle as time expired.
 
"It showed that we were all out and we were going for it," sophomore Mya Kemp said. "We had nothing to lose in that moment and that's how we played the game. We were going all out and that's what really stuck with us this whole season."
 
SU had its best opportunity to score a goal when two ESU players were carded within a 48 second span heading into the fourth quarter. The Raiders best shot during that time came from a reverse shot by sophomore Tess Jedeloo but was saved by ESU goalkeeper, Amy Supey.
 
Shippensburg had two shots on goal and two penalty corners, while East Stroudsburg had five shots on goal and seven penalty corners. Sophomore goalkeeper Lindsay Tripodo had four saves while Supey had two saves.
 
"We set goals in the spring that we thought were way beyond us we had lots of doubts and the odds were against us," Kemp said of this season. "We lost 13 seniors, but we came back and we were in the same position we were in last year (in the national championship game). Yeah, we came up short today, but the confidence and belief, the strength of the connection between our team grew tremendously."
 
Shippensburg's three senior players (Paige Bond, Merel Hoekstra and Maura Mears) debuted either in 2019 or 2020. Shippensburg's seniors combined to post a 48-10 record and claim one national championship and two national tournament appearance.
 
"This season, I think we were playing for something a little bit more," Kemp said. "22 girls, for 22, in the year 2022, I think we played this season bigger than ourselves."
 
Notes:
* Shippensburg is 17-11 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and has won five NCAA Division II national titles: 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2021.
* Shippensburg's first national championship in school history came in 1979, when the Raiders claimed the AIAW Division III national championship to complete a 16-2-3 season that included a school-record 14 shutouts. 
* Saturday's game was the second time that Shippensburg and East Stroudsburg faced each other in the NCAA Division II National Championship game. It was just the third time since 1998 that two teams from the PSAC faced each other for the national championship (SHIP defeated ESU in 2018 and SHIP defeated WCU in 2021).
* Saturday was the sixth meeting between the two teams in NCAA Division II Tournament history, with Shippensburg holding a 5-1 edge all-time. The two teams last met in the 2018 national championship in Pittsburgh, a game claimed by the Raiders, 1-0 in overtime.
* Saturday was also the second meeting of the season between the two teams. Shippensburg won against East Stroudsburg, 1-0 at Robb Sports Complex with a goal from Valu Paul in the third quarter.