The No. 1 Shippensburg University field hockey team scored off a penalty corner once in each half and produced its seventh shutout of the season Wednesday night, blanking host No. 8 Millersville by a 2-0 score in non-conference action at the Biemesderfer.
 
Shippensburg (11-0) had a 16-4 advantage in penalty corners and opened the scoring five minutes into the second quarter by converting one such opportunity. McKenna Boyle received an insert from Elaina Fragassi and sent a feed to her right, where it was gathered by Kayla Snyder. Snyder's hard, low strike ramped off a defender's stick and high into the cage, giving the Raiders a lead they would not relinquish. For Snyder, it was her first career goal in the run of play. Her three previous tallies had all come on penalty strokes.
 
SU doubled its lead early in the fourth quarter. Fragassi's insert was received by Carme Caracotche Picone, who sent a cross-circle pass to Savannah Silvestre. Her shot was stopped, but the carom made its way to Anne Gardner, who reversed her stick to finesse the rebound into the goal for her fifth marker of the season.
 
Millersville (6-5), despite steady SU pressure, was able to work some scoring chances in the middle two stanzas. Its best chance came two minutes into the second half. Goalkeeper Emma Albee denied an initial shot, but a dangerous second chance by Megan Alvarez was sent through her legs and toward the open goal.
 
Alvarez was denied by Hannah White, who stopped it with the front of her stick and then redirected it again after a bounce off the turf for a fabulous defensive save that kept the Marauders scoreless.
 
Albee made four saves in the victory. She made two in succession in the first three minutes of the second quarter, keeping the hosts at bay on a penalty-corner opportunity.
 
Her counterpart, Sarah Crysler, had to make six saves for the Marauders. Madison Shea denied Boyle of a goal in the final five minutes with a defensive save as she was falling to the turf.
 
Wednesday night was the first of two meetings between the teams in the next seven days. It was a non-conference game; next Tuesday at Robb Sports Complex will be the official Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) match.
 
Shippensburg remains on the road this weekend, returning to action at 1 p.m. Saturday at No. 4 East Stroudsburg.