MILLERSVILLE, Pa. — The Marauders defended home turf in their season-opener, defeating Franklin Pierce 3–0.
 
Millersville's offense jumped out and controlled play early on after successfully defending back-to-back penalty corners for the Ravens in the first three minutes. Once the Marauders were able to flip the field and hold possession, Emily Buss found the back of the net for the first goal of the season off an assist from Morgan Lennon. The Marauders kept up the pressure, breaking through again early on in the second quarter. This time, it was Lennon tallying the goal to double Millersville's lead, with Caitlin Wassermann getting credit for the assist. 
 
The Marauders were able to see the majority of their roster on the field, something head coach Shelly Behrens hinted towards before the season. Behrens said although they have some areas to work on, the overall play was strong for the first game.
 
"Some of our freshmen are really standing out, as well as some of our sophomores and juniors," Behrens said. "I don't know if I've ever substituted this much in our backfield; we had so many positive performances in that area. We know we left a couple of goals on the field tonight, but I'm really happy for the girls and feel great about tonight. We're going to come back and build on this."
 
Even with many different Marauders getting on the field, the scoring came from familiar faces from last season's stat leaders. Gianna Cugino, who was third on the team in points, powered home Millersville's third and final goal of the night just before halftime.
 
Despite constant pressure and even a penalty shot in the second half, the Ravens were able to prevent the Marauders from extending their lead. Nonetheless, it gave Behrens an opportunity to see what her new additions to the team could provide with valuable in-game experience in their first contest. Behrens spoke highly of her class, even giving freshman Megan Alvarez the starting nod, while getting good looks at Aftyn Robbins, Cali Mease, Kamryn Bittle, Collette Lennon, and Peyton Bean.
 
The Marauders ended the night with a perfect defensive performance in the box score, not ceding a shot on goal as Kerstin Koons earned the shutout victory. Always happy to start the season on a win, Behrens said the team feels good about its performance with scoring goals in different fashion and is looking ahead to Tuesday's tilt in a non-conference matchup against Indiana (Pa.).
 
"We're really looking forward to it," Behrens said. "It should be a fun night of field hockey."
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Marauders outshot the Ravens 18–1, putting 13 on target in the process. The majority of Millersville's chances came in the middle quarters, where 11 of the 18 shot attempts were recorded.
• After not receiving any in the first, Millersville finished with 12 penalty corners to Franklin Pierce's six, with four coming in each of the last three quarters.
• Cugino led all players in shots by a healthy margin, taking five attempts and putting each one on target. 
• Morgan Lennon, who posted four goals and eight points last season, was the only player to record both a goal and an assist in the contest.

 
GAME NOTES

• The game was the first matchup between the two programs, marking the 80^th opponent Millersville's field hockey team has played. The Marauders own a positive winning percentage against 56 of those teams.
• The Marauders have now won 14-straight season openers dating back to 2009.
• Megan Alvarez became the first freshman since her teammate Kerstin Koons to earn a spot in the starting lineup in the Marauders first game. Koons started her career with a shutout in her debut against St. Thomas Aquinas in 2021 and recorded her 14^th career shutout tonight.