SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University field hockey team begins the 2025 season with a neutral-site clash against Belmont Abbey on Saturday. The match will be played at IUP.
 
Expectations remain high despite offseason changes. The Raiders are the reigning Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) champions and will be seeking to extend their streak of NCAA Tournament appearances to five-in-a-row.
 
Schedule
 
Shippensburg begins the 2025 season with three of its first four games away from Robb Sports Complex.
 
Next week, the Raiders remain on the road for a non-conference battle on Tuesday, Sept. 9 against West Chester.
 
Shippensburg will host Assumption for its home opener on Friday, Sept. 12 at 5 p.m. The Greyhounds are coming off an 18-4 season and qualified for the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Last year, the Raiders picked up a 3-1 win over Assumption early in the season.
 
Another important non-conference date will be Sunday, Sept. 14 when the Raiders test themselves against reigning national champions Saint Anselm in a game that will be played at Widener University.
 
Conference play begins Saturday, Sept. 27 when the Raiders host IUP for SU Field Hockey Alumni Day.
 
Roster
 
Shippensburg enters the 2025 season with 22 players, of which 16 return from the 2024 fall roster.
 
Among the six newcomers are a pair of transfers: redshirt-freshman Tess Naylor, who joined the team in the spring, and redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper Gabby Gober, who came aboard this fall.
 
There are four first-year student-athletes who have joined the roster.
 
Five players are operating as seniors in 2025: Emma Albee, Agus Garibaldi, Kelly Naudé, Lilly Cantabene and Savannah Silvestre are in their final season of eligibility.
 
From an athletic eligibility perspective, the team has five seniors, five juniors, seven sophomores and five freshmen.
                
Coaching Staff
 
Rayell Wallace was named the head coach of Shippensburg University Field Hockey in April. It will be her first season directing the Raiders after spending the last five years as the head coach at Slippery Rock.
 
Katie Lammando returns for third season on the SU coaching staff and it will be her first as the full-time assistant coach. She was a key member of last year's group that was named the 2024 National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
Assistant coach Annabel Skubisz, an All-American goalkeeper for the 2024 NCAA Division I National Champion Northwestern Wildcats, and student assistant Zane Boler are also newcomers to the SU coaching staff.
 

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Notes
 
Shippensburg had five players earn National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-America honors last season and three are back in the fold: graduate goalkeeper Albee (Second Team), forward Garibaldi (First Team) and junior midfielder/defender Hannah White (Second Team).
 
Midfielder Ashley Button (First Team) and forward Nya Gilchrist (Second Team) have graduated.
 
Of the team's eight All-PSAC honorees last season, four return: Albee (First Team), Garibaldi (First Team), White (Second Team) and graduate defender Savannah Silvestre (Third Team). Albee is the reigning PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Year.
 
In addition to the graduations of Button and Gilchrist, forward Yasmin De Meyer (Third Team) has completed her eligibility and is now a member of the SU Tennis team as a graduate student, while forward Alexa Michielsen (Third Team) earned her undergraduate degree and has transferred to Delaware as a graduate student.

The team's 2025 captains are Albee, Silvestre and senior Kelly Naudé.
 
Position Breakdown
(This listing is tentative entering the season and subject to change. Several players may rotate between positions; this listing is sorted by their expected primary position on the field.)
 
Goalkeepers (3): Emma Albee, Gabby Gober, Grace Meinke
 
Defenders (4): Emily Bitters, Tess Naylor, Savannah Silvestre, Kayla Snyder
 
Midfielders (9): Carme Caracotche Picone, Sierra Crews, Madison Fissel, Elaina Fragassi, Gracie Hivner, Ava Kientzy, Annika Madeja, Kelly Naudé, Hannah White
 
Forwards (6): Avery Austin, Mckenna Boyle, Lilly Cantabene, Anne Gardner, Agus Garibaldi, Gabby Wameling
 
Home Breakdown
 
Pennsylvania (10)
Lilly Cantabene (York, Pa./Dallastown Area)
Madison Fissel (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg Area)
Elaina Fragassi (Allentown, Pa./Parkland)
Anne Gardner (Hershey, Pa./Hershey)
Gabby Gober (New Tripoli, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh (Fairfield))
Gracie Hivner (Enola, Pa./East Pennsboro)
Grace Meinke (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley (Queens University Charlotte))
Tess Naylor (Carlisle, Pa./Boiling Springs (Central Michigan))
Savannah Silvestre (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley)
Kayla Snyder (Chadds Ford, Pa./Garnet Valley (West Chester))
 
Argentina (2)
Carme Caracotche Picone (Mar del Plata, Argentina/Instituto San Alberto)
Agus Garibaldi (Recoleta, Argentina/Colegio San Agustin)
 
Maryland (2)
Emily Bitters (Delmar, Md./Delmar (Del.))
Hannah White (Princess Anne, Md./Washington)
 
California (1)
Avery Austin (Solana Beach, Cal./Torrey Pines)
 
Delaware (1)
Mckenna Boyle (Millsboro, Del./Sussex Central)
 
New Hampshire (1)
Annika Madeja (Peterborough, N.H./Proctor Academy)
 
New Jersey (1)
Emma Albee (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge)
 
New York (1)
Gabby Wameling (Syracuse, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse)
 
South Africa (1)
Kelly Naudé (Pietermaritzburg, South Africa/Epworth School (Coker))
 
Virginia (1)
Sierra Crews (Fredericksburg, Va./Mountain View)
 
Missouri (1)
Ava Kientzy (St. Louis, Mo./Lindbergh)