West Chester, Pa. - Despite the Millersville University women's lacrosse team's 15-4 loss at No. 7 West Chester on Wednesday afternoon, the Marauders have clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2016 after Bloomsburg's 14-8 loss at No. 14 East Stroudsburg earlier in the day.
Cindy Wilson becomes the first head coach in program history to lead her team to a playoff berth in her first season at Millersville.
The Marauders (9-7, 7-4 PSAC) can clinch the No. 4 seed and host a first round playoff game with a win against Seton Hill and an Indiana (Pa.) loss, who will host the Golden Rams (14-2, 10-1 PSAC), on Saturday, April 27.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
• Millersville trailed just 3-2 halfway through the first half thanks to goals from
Gillian Zimmerman and
Sarah Leverentz. However, West Chester scored five more goals in the period and didn't allow any to the Marauders to bring an 8-2 lead into halftime.
• The Golden Rams scored five goals to start the second half before back-to-back goals by
Sara Burney and
Kayla Held, which were separated by almost 10 minutes, made it a 13-4 game.
• West Chester scored two more goals before the game ended to hand Millersville an 11-goal defeat, its worst lost since its 18-7 loss to Georgian Court in the season opener back on Feb. 18.
COACH CINDY WILSON QUOTES
• "We fought hard today and played a good defensive game."
• "Playing top teams only makes us better. Seeing that level of competition helps us see where we are and what we need to improve on to get to where we want to be."
• "I'm really proud of this team for everything we have done this season. We are really excited to have the opportunity to continue on to the postseason."
• "We are looking forward to Saturday. While we have already clinched a playoff spot, the seeding hasn't been finalized so there is a lot to play for."
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
•
Gillian Zimmerman,
Sarah Leverentz,
Sara Burney and
Kayla Held all scored one goal each, while
Erin Fagan and
Calie Swegon each tallied one assist.
•
Shannon Davis collected a game-high six ground balls, while
Michella Salvitti scooped up four.
Jasa Lorah and
Genevieve Speights each collected two ground balls. Speights also caused a team-high three turnovers and Davis wasn't far behind with two caused turnovers. Leverentz won a team-high four draw controls while Fagan won two.
• Davis made eight stops in net to bump her season save total up to 146.
NOTES
• The Golden Rams had a lead in every statistical category except for saves, which Millersville led 8-5, and free-position shots, which Millersville led 7-6.
• The Marauders are now 1-3 against nationally-ranked opponents this season.
UP NEXT
• Millersville will host Seton Hill in its regular season finale on Saturday, April 27 at 1 p.m. on Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium. It will also be the Marauders' Senior Day, as
Shannon Davis,
Natalie Sukanick,
Erin Fagan,
Nathalie Sell,
Jovonna Jewell and
Bryana Weston-Wyatt will all be honored prior to the start of the game.