KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The No. 2-ranked Shippensburg University field hockey team scored a goal in each of the first two quarters Sunday and never trailed as it won the 2025 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship Game, defeating unbeaten No. 1 Kutztown by a 2-1 score at University Field at Andre Reed Stadium.
 
Shippensburg (17-3) has now won back-to-back PSAC Championships for the first time in school history. The 2025 title is its fourth overall, accompanying victories in 2005, 2021 and 2024.  
 
To claim league glory, SU had to complete a "revenge tour" this week by defeating each of the three teams it had lost to during the regular season. The Raiders earned a 2-0 quarterfinal win Tuesday over No. 6 Bloomsburg and a 4-3 semifinal triumph Friday over No. 4 East Stroudsburg before today's victory over No. 1 Kutztown.
 
It is the first of Shippensburg's four PSAC Championships in which it had to win in all three rounds of the tournament. The last PSAC team to go 3-0 and win the PSAC Tournament was East Stroudsburg in 2022.
 
Hannah White, whose leadership, defensive prowess, stickhandling and passing were integral to the Raider cause – was named the PSAC Championship's Most Valuable Player.
 
Shippensburg set the tone from the outset in Sunday's game and dictated the pace in the opening 30 minutes. The Raiders earned eight of their nine penalty corners in the first half and posted a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal to build a 2-0 halftime lead.
 
The opening goal came around the 10-minute mark. After an SU shot hit the lower leg of a Golden Bear defender who was stationed on the end line behind goalkeeper Tess Adolf, the Raiders were awarded a penalty stroke. Kayla Snyder converted with a lofted shot to the left, making it 1-0.
 
Snyder is now 3-for-3 this season and 4-of-6 overall in her career on penalty stroke attempts.
 
Five minutes into the second quarter, Carme Caracotche Picone and Lilly Cantabene completed an extended give-and-go passing play that doubled the lead. Cantabene maneuvered around two defenders and nudged a pass over to Caracotche Picone in the circle, who fired home her career-high fifth goal of the season.
 
After a third quarter that featured three combined penalty corners and just one shot on goal, action ramped up in the final 15 minutes. With three minutes left, All-American Erin Gonzalez completed a 40-yard run up the left side with a finish in the circle for her 17th goal of the season.  
 
Kutztown (19-1) earned a penalty corner 30 seconds later but the opportunity went for naught. From there, the Raiders maintained possession for much of the duration to help run out the clock.
 
Adolf recorded five saves for the hosts while Emma Albee made three saves in the win for the Raiders. Albee, who redshirted as a freshman in 2021, becomes the only Raider to have been a part of three PSAC Championship teams.
 
Head Coach Rayell Wallace, in her first season at Shippensburg after five years (four seasons) at Slippery Rock, has directed a Raider squad that has played a nationally-ranked opponent in 14 of the team's 20 games this season and posted an 11-3 record in those contests.
 
SU scored eight goals in this year's conference playoffs – its most in a PSAC Tournament since tallying 11 in 2005 en route to the first of four PSAC titles.
 
Shippensburg (PSAC Champions), Newberry (SAC Champions) and Saint Anselm (NE10 Champions) earned automatic berths into the NCAA Tournament by virtue of their conference titles. Five other teams (three from the Atlantic Region, two from the East region) will earn at-large berths.
 
The NCAA Division II Field Hockey Selection Show will be posted online at 9:30 p.m. tonight and be accessible at ncaa.com.
 
Notes:
Shippensburg is now 23-30 all-time in the PSAC Tournament, including 4-12 in PSAC Championship Finals…SU's current five-game winning streak in PSAC Tournament matches is its longest in school history…the Raiders and Golden Bears have met just four times in the PSAC Tournament, but SU has won each matchup (2005, 2009 and 2023 semifinals, 2025 finals)…SU became just the third team to score two goals in a game against Kutztown this season, joining Southern New Hampshire and Mansfield (KU has yielded just 12 goals all season through 20 games).

Interviews with White, Albee and Wallace are available via the Instagram post below:

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