GAFFNEY, S.C. – The Shippensburg University field hockey team has reached the NCAA Division II Field Hockey Semifinals for the 14th time in school history and is headed to Limestone University this weekend in pursuit of its seventh national championship.
 
No. 1 Shippensburg (19-1) will face a familiar foe in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) rival No. 3 Kutztown (15-5) at 2 p.m. Friday in the first of two national semifinals at Saint Field.
 
It is a rematch of last year's national semifinal, which was the only previous NCAA Championships meeting between the two teams. The 2023 matchup held at Saint Anselm was a 2-1 victory for the Golden Bears and was a precursor to Kutztown's first NCAA title in school history.
 
SU's pursuit of a 2024 title began immediately after that match ended. The Raider motivation is to hoist a national championship trophy for the first time since the 2021 season – a year in which six of this team's seniors were first-year players.  
 
En route to the national semifinals, Shippensburg has gone 11-0 this season against nationally-ranked opponents. The team's only loss came in its last regular season game – a 1-0 setback at IUP. The Raiders have won all three of their postseason games by a one-goal margin and are 7-1 overall on the season in one-goal games.
 
To advance to the national championship game, the Raiders will have to defeat the Golden Bears for a third time – SU won 2-0 at KU on Sept. 18 and came from behind late to win 3-2 on Oct. 15. The two teams did not meet in the PSAC Tournament.
 
Statistically, the Raiders lead the nation in goals per game (3.6) and save percentage (.849). Seven different players have scored at least six goals this season, while PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Year Emma Albee fortifies the back lines (SU has only given up two goals in a game three times this season).
 
Kutztown, meanwhile, has overcome poor marks in save percentage (.652) by leading the nation in penalty corners per game (12.1) and ranking eighth in goals per game (2.85). Marci Scheuing's squad has won four straight NCAA Tournament games dating back to last season and is 5-1 overall in NCAA Tournament competition during her tenure.
 
Overall, Shippensburg is 18-12 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including 10-2 under head coach Tara Zollinger. SU is 7-6 all-time in the NCAA Semifinals, including a 4-1 mark under Zollinger.
 
Friday's second semifinal at 5 p.m. will feature No. 2 East Stroudsburg and No. 8 Saint Anselm. The national championship game will be played at 1 p.m. Sunday.