KUTZTOWN, Pa. - Millersville is in the PSAC Semifinals for the 11th season in a row and meet a familiar foe Friday in the Shippensburg Raiders. The semifinals and championship are hosted by top-seed Kutztown. Millersville is the No. 3 seed in the tournament and advanced with a 4-1 win over Bloomsburg in the quarterfinals. Shippensburg, recently ranked the No. 1 team in the Atlantic Region, is 15-2 and the received a first round bye as the No. 2 seed.
As successful as Shippensburg has been through the years, winning four national titles since 2016, the program won its second PSAC Championship in 2021--16 years after its first in 2005. Millersville has won four conference titles all-time including two under the direction of
Shelly Behrens (2013 and 2016). Millersville reached the championship game in five-straight years from 2012-2016 but has been knocked out in the semifinals in the last four. Friday is a rematch of last season's PSAC Semifinal in which Shippensburg edged Millersville 2-1 in overtime. It is the seventh PSAC Tournament match-up between Millersville and Shippensburg. The Marauders won the first five before Shippensburg's win in 2021. Behrens is 6-2 against Shippensburg in postseason games, and all eight of those games have been decided by one goal. Overall, Shippensburg holds a 52-37-8 advantage in a series that dates back to 1945. The programs have split the last six meetings with Millersville winning most recently--a 4-1 decision at home on Nov. 2. The teams have played on a neutral field four times with each teams winning twice.
THE LAST MEETING (Millersville 4, Shippensburg 1 - Nov. 2, 2022)
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Kate Strickland and
Bri Harsh connected for goals twice in the first quarter, and Millersville scored its largest margin of victory over Shippensburg since 1998.
Bri Harsh earned the game's first penalty corner 1:37 into play, and Strickland scored for a 1-0 Millersville lead. Harsh scored on an assist from Strickland later in the first quarter.
Kortlin Yetter gave Millersville a 3-1 lead at the half, and
Pili Zaballa added to the total in the fourth quarter. Shippensburg held a 19-15 lead in shots and a 17-10 edge in corners, but Millersville keeper
Kerstin Koons made a season-high 10 saves.
THE TEAMS AT A GLANCE
• Millersville ranks fifth in the PSAC in goals scored (55) and fourth in goals allowed (19). The Marauders' 236 penalty corners rank second in the PSAC only to Kutztown. Millersville has totaled seven shutouts and has scored four goals or more eight times. Millersville owns victories over three of the top five teams in the NCAA's East Region as well as wins over the Atlantic Region No. 1 (Shippensburg) and No. 4 (West Chester). Of Millersville's four losses, three were to teams ranked No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 in the Atlantic Region. All four losses are by one goal and two came in overtime. Millersville's
Kate Strickland leads the PSAC in goals scored with 18 and is one shy of the school record, which has stood since 1994. No Marauder has led the PSAC in goals scored.
Bri Harsh is tied for third in the PSAC in assists with eight. Harsh has at least one point in eight-straight games and five assists in the last four games.
• Since the loss to Millersville, Shippensburg has won its last three games by a total margin of 14-3. Shippensburg is 7-1 away from its home field. Shippensburg ranks third in the PSAC in scoring average and fifth in goals per game allowed. Tess Jedeloo's 5.47 shots per game leads the PSAC. Agus Garibaldi is tied for second in goals with 16 and second in points with 38.
