KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The No. 2-ranked Shippensburg University field hockey team got off to an impressive start Friday and ended up holding on late to defeat No. 4 East Stroudsburg, 4-3, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship Semifinal matchup at Kutztown University's Andre Reed Stadium.
 
No. 3-seed Shippensburg (16-3) dominated No. 2 seed East Stroudsburg (16-3) until the final seconds of the third quarter, staking itself to a 4-0 lead. The Warriors fought back with a late charge, scoring three unanswered goals – the last of which came on a penalty corner as time expired.
 
The seven combined goals are the most ever between the two teams in the 71-game series that dates back to 1981. It is also the highest scoring PSAC Tournament match in 10 years (2015 quarterfinals, WCU 6-1 over KU).
 
McKenna Boyle opened the scoring seven minutes in, smashing an Anne Gardner centering pass into the bottom left corner of the cage.
 
SU converted on a penalty corner in the final seconds of the first half to double its lead. Lilly Cantabene's point shot was deflected on its way toward goal. The bouncing ball was deflected a second time in front of the ESU cage, causing it to go skyward, where Gardner was waiting to bat the ball out of the air for the goal.
 
Agus Garibaldi deflected a Cantabene shot attempt past the ESU goalie to make it 3-0 seven minutes into the third quarter.
 
SU saved its best goal for last. Boyle, with her back to goal at the edge of the circle, laid off a picture-perfect no-look pass to an onrushing Kelly Naudé. Naudé then lifted the ball past ESU goalie Jet Vermuelen to finish off what was a brilliant Raider counterattack.
 
As it turns out, Shippensburg needed all four goals Friday.
 
ESU got some life late in third quarter, sneaking a goal past SU goalie Emma Albee with six seconds left on the clock.
 
The momentum continued in the final fifteen minutes. ESU's Emma Friend followed up Maddy Moline's tally with a goal 58 seconds into the fourth quarter, making it 4-2.
 
SU's defense hunkered down as the Warriors continued to pressure until the final whistle. The final goal was courtesy of Puck de Ruiter and came with zeroes on the clock.
 
While East Stroudsburg had eight penalty corners in the contest to Shippensburg's five, the Raiders edged the Warriors in shots on goal, 9-to-7.
 
Albee finished with four saves for SU.
 
Like it did in their PSAC Quarterfinal victory over Bloomsburg, the Raiders successfully avenged a regular-season loss. ESU earned a 3-2 win on Oct. 11 which at the time was Shippensburg's first loss of the season.
 
Shippensburg advances to the PSAC Championship match at noon Sunday at host Kutztown. The Golden Bears defeated No. 4 seed West Chester, 2-0, in the other semifinal matchup Friday.
 
Notes:
Shippensburg is now 22-30 all-time in the PSAC Tournament, including 16-16 in the PSAC Semifinals…each of the last five meetings between ESU and SU have been decided by one goal, including the last two PSAC Championship Finals…Friday was the sixth PSAC Tournament game between the two schools; both have won three and lost three…East Stroudsburg has scored six of the 14 goals against the Raiders this season…Shippensburg is seeking its fourth PSAC Championship in school history while Kutztown is seeking its first…the Raiders and Golden Bears have met just three times in the PSAC Tournament, with the Raiders claiming victory in the 2005, 2009 and 2023 semifinals.