MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – The Marauders got back in the win column Saturday afternoon with a 3–0 shutout over the Mercyhurst Lakers to improve to 7–4 overall and 2­–3 against PSAC opponents.
 
Millersville controlled the game from start to finish, preventing Mercyhurst from registering a shot on goal the entire game. The Marauders outshot the Lakers 24–0 and had a 17–2 advantage in penalty corners. The Lakers were able to make a pair of defensive saves to keep the game close before heading into the fourth quarter, but Millersville never let up the pressure and stayed strong defensively to the end.
 
The Marauders got out to the start they wanted, scoring in the early stages of the first quarter. A penalty corner two minutes into the game led to Gianna Cugino sending a shot pass toward the front of the net, where Codi Bollinger was there to redirect it to the back of the net for the early 1–0 lead. Around the halfway point of the quarter, the Marauders had another corner after sustained offensive pressure. After a scrum in front of the net, the ball dribbled behind the goalkeeper to Emma Ruley, but Jen Kemp made the defensive save for the Lakers.
 
In the first five minutes the Marauders were looking like they were bound to get a second goal, putting seven shots on target. However, the Lakers defense stood tall, with goalkeeper Kayla Desormeau making six saves, and Ava D'Amato making a defensive save to keep it a one-goal game. 
 
The third quarter featured few chances for either side and was mostly trading possession, but the Marauders put on the press in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. About five minutes into the last frame, Cugino had a couple chances at a goal and was able to convert on her second shot, putting the Marauders up 2–0. Five minutes later, the ball was sent toward the net from outside the circle and a flurry of sticks waved at it, but Taylor Geisel was able to score her first goal of the season and put the Marauders up 3–0. The Marauders sat back on defense for the rest of the game, preserving a 3–0 win.
 
Millersville will complete the set of back-to-back games by hosting Coker tomorrow at noon.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Marauders outshot the Lakers 24–0 with 18 shots on goal and a 17–2 advantage in penalty corners.
• Cugino led all players in shots with six total and five on goal.

 
GAME NOTES

• Millersville is now 19–2 all-time against Mercyhurst and has won the last 19 meetings between the two teams. The Marauders have won the last seven games in shutout fashion, outscoring the Lakers 28–0.
• Geisel's goal is the second of her career and the fifth point of her career.
• Bollinger now has 13 points on the season (five goals, three assists), and Cugino is now in double digits with 10 points (four goals, two assists).
• The win marks the fifth shutout victory of the season for the Marauders.

 
POSTGAME REACTION FROM SHELLY BEHRENS

• Overall thoughts: The conditions weren't great, but I loved how we played above the conditions. And that's a nice conference win for us. Good to win at home and nice to score three goals.
• On the defensive approach: It's PSAC hockey, and [Mercyhurst] is a good team. It was 1–0 for a while. For us, it was just a matter of staying within our structure, doing the things we do well, and not letting conditions and different things get away from us.
• On the constant pressure: That's something that I'm really proud of our kids about. I think we've been doing that very well all year, and we want to continue to bring that pressure. That's where I think we can thrive and create some counter attacking opportunities.
• On winning the first half of a back-to-back set: It's a nonconference game tomorrow, and it's not always easy to play back-to-back games. We have six games left, and we just want to knock them down one at a time and take care of business and, and again, keep getting better. There's a lot of things we were better at today, there were some things we weren't. So we're right back at it again tomorrow and we'll follow the 24-hour rule.