MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Kate Strickland and Bri Harsh connected for goals twice in the first quarter, and the fifth-ranked Millersville field hockey team rolled to a 4-1 win over No. 2-ranked Shippensburg Wednesday at Biemesderfer Stadium. 

Millersville (13-3, 6-2 PSAC) earned its first home win over Shippensburg since the national championship season of 2014, scored more than two goals against Raiders for the first time in 11 years, and the three-goal margin of victory was Millersville's largest over Shippensburg since 1998. 

It was all about a fast start. Millersville failed to score a first-half goal in three of the previous four games and had been shut out in two of them. But Harsh's aggressive play earned Millersville the game's first penalty corner just 1:37 into the first quarter. Strickland, the PSAC's leading goal-scorer, boosted her season total to 16 with a rocket from the top of the circle off of Harsh's insert. A little more than 10 minutes later, Harsh redirected a shot from Strickland on a nearly identical play, and while Shippensburg momentarily cut the deficit to one in the 23rd minute, Millersville boosted the lead back to two one minute and 20 seconds later when Kortlin Yetter and Qhayiya Nogoduka hustled downfield for a breakaway score.

"It was huge to put [Shippensburg] on their heels early," said Millersville head coach Shelly Behrens. "Ship is an amazing program; nothing but respect for Tara (Zollinger) and that program. I think us being us helps. I can't tell you the last time we had a two-goal lead, but we played like we were down one."

Pili Zaballa added Millersville's fourth goal off an assist from Brynne Ehrlacher in the 53rd minute, putting the game firmly in control of the Marauders. 

Millersville's attack gave their team an early lead, but goalkeeper Kerstin Koons and the Marauders' corner defense made that lead stick. Shippensburg drew 17 penalty corners to Millersville's 10. Shippensburg attempted 19 shots but those that weren't snuffed out and blocked by the Marauders' defenders were turned away by Koons. She made a season-high eight saves becoming just the third keeper this season to hold Shippensburg to fewer than two goals. 

"She was our player of the game," said Behrens of Koons. "Even giving up a goal, that was nice execution by Shippensburg. But Kerstin was on tonight. Shout out to the corner defense. The key was sticking to the game plan and not trying to go off on their own and save the day. Everyone has a part to play. Play your part and the scoreboard will take care of itself."

For Millersville, ranked No. 3 in the NCAA's initial regional rankings released earlier in the day, the win was crucial toward its NCAA Tournament pursuit. Shippensburg was voted No. 4 in those regional rankings. The Marauders improved to 8-0 at home with two of those wins against teams ranked in the top two in the NFHCA Coaches Poll. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Shippensburg held a 19-15 edge in shots. Shippensburg's Agus Garibaldi scored her 12th goal of the season on an assist from Merel Hoekstra. 
• Strickland's 16 goals pulls her even with Katie Zapp (2014) for the second-most goals in a season in Millersville history. She is three shy of the school record held by Dena Gockley (1994). 
• Zaballa, who scored the game-winner Saturday at IUP, has now scored in back-to-back games and has recorded at least one point in three of the last four. Harsh also scored for the second game in a row. 

UP NEXT
• Millersville plays a non-conference game at West Chester on Wednesday, Nov. 9 before closing out regular season play at Mansfield on Nov. 12.