GAFFNEY, S.C. – The No. 1-ranked Shippensburg University field hockey team could not overcome a frenzied first half from rival No. 3 Kutztown on Friday afternoon, as the Raiders were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament with a 4-3 semifinal loss to the Golden Bears on a sunny 50-degree day at Saints Field on the campus of Limestone University.
 
Shippensburg (19-2) trailed 2-0 after the first quarter and 4-2 at halftime to Kutztown (16-5); the two teams unleashed an offensive flurry that featured a combined 16 shots on goal and 12 penalty corners in the opening 30 minutes.
 
The teams settled down a bit after halftime, playing a scoreless third quarter, but the Raiders put forth a furious rally in the fourth quarter that included nine penalty corners and myriad scoring chances.
 
Kutztown, the nation's leader in penalty corners, converted two in the first quarter for the game's opening strikes. Erin Gonzalez scored on a rebound at 6:07, and Jessica Traynor scored four minutes from a tight angle at the near post to give the Golden Bears a 2-0 lead.
 
Less than 90 seconds into the second quarter, the Raiders scored off a penalty corner when senior Ashley Button received an insert from sophomore Hannah White and fired a low rocket into the goal to get the Raiders within one.
 
Four minutes later, KU answered with a goal in the run of play, as Gonzalez scored her second of the game off an assist from Grace Harrold.
 
Less than a minute later, SU earned three straight corners and scored off the third, as junior Lilly Cantabene redirected home a shot from junior Savannah Silvestre to make the score 3-2.
 
Soon after, SU nearly pulled even on another attack penalty corner, but Gatehouse laid down her stick to stop a shot at point-blank range by senior Yasmin De Meyer for a defensive save. That chance came immediately after junior Kelly Naudé was stopped by KU keeper Mia Kepler.
 
Barely a minute after the defensive save, KU moved downfield and was awarded a stroke with 2:31 left in the half. Juliana Donato converted, resulting in a 4-2 score that lasted into the fourth quarter.
 
Shippensburg blitzed the Golden Bears down the stretch. After redshirt-junior goalkeeper Emma Albee made a save in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter, SU responded with a spirited rush and camped itself in the offensive third for the majority of the last 15 minutes.
 
Three minutes into the final frame, senior Alexa Michielsen earned possession and delivered a splendid individual effort – dribbling into the circle and firing a beautiful strike into the goal. However, after video review, it was deemed the ball had hit her foot during the chance and the goal was disallowed.
 
Barely a minute after the goal was washed out, SU scored again. Junior Agus Garibaldi dribbled along the end line, drew a defender, and sent a centering pass through the crease that senior Nya Gilchrist tipped in at the far post.
 
Despite Shippensburg's best efforts to equal the score, including pulling Albee with 1:38 left, it proved to be the final tally of the match. SU earned its 16th and final penalty corner of the match with two seconds left on the clock, but the Golden Bears staved off the threat to advance to Sunday's championship match.
 
Friday's 4-3 score marks the most combined goals in a NCAA Division II Final Four game since 2015, when ESU defeated West Chester by a 6-2 score in a semifinal played at Bloomsburg.
 
Friday's result marks the first time this season that Shippensburg lost to a nationally-ranked opponent after 11 previous victories. It is also the first time this season that the Raiders conceded more than two goals in a match.
 
The result also marks a sudden end for the Raider seniors.
 
Of that group, Michielsen is set to graduate in the spring after three years; De Meyer arrived as a transfer in 2022, Taryn Mayer arrived in the spring of 2023, and graduate students Kristen McCormick and Josefina Golppi arrived this season.
 
Six Raiders date back to 2021; SU's last national championship season. Those players – Albee, Brea Borrell, Button, Emilia Conners, Gilchrist and Valu Paul – combined to post a 70-11 record during their four-year tenure as Raiders. Albee, who redshirted in 2021, will be back next season.
 
Notes: SU competed in the NCAA Tournament for the 17th season in school history and is now 18-13 all-time in NCAA Tournament competition…SU played in the national semifinals for the fourth straight season and is now 7-7 all-time in the national semifinals.