SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. — Kayleigh Dunn's goal with 6:53 remaining proved to be the difference, as the Millersville Marauders defeated the Shippensburg Raiders 13-12 to secure a spot in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Playoff Tournament for the first time since 2022. Marauders head coach Mike Faith totaled his 300^th collegiate win while Kaleigh Funk led the team in scoring with five goals and an assist in addition to nabbing her 100^th career point.

"It feels amazing," Faith said of the team's accomplishment postgame. "All the credit goes to the players. They bought in the way that I like to do things, and they wanted to work really hard and compete in practice every day. They did a good job of getting in better shape in the winter, and I just held them accountable all season. They're very good; I knew I was taking over a good team. They just needed a little bit of direction and push."

That Dunn score put the visitors up 13–10, but the Raiders struck back quickly with two goals of their own over the next two minutes. The Marauders hung on for dear life in the final 4:49, clinging to a one-goal lead as Shippensburg pressed for the tying tally. Faith called a timeout when his team claimed possession with 1:57 to direct them in salting away the final two minutes.

"Run it all the way down and try to get a quality shot," Faith told his team during the stoppage. "If not, just leave it in the farthest part of the field and go from there. After that, just re-defend and not give up anything easy."

Faith gave the ball to Rachel Keeney, his team's leading point-getter to execute the plan.

"She's a senior; she's been there," Faith explained. "She's been one of our best players all season. I basically told her to clear the ball herself, run the clock down and then run a play for her. I think we got a shot off, but they deflected it. Even so, we ran the shot clock all the way down and that brought it to about 30."

The 'Ville was then one 36 second defensive possession away from officially vanquishing the demons of a 5–11 2024 campaign and punching their ticket to the playoffs in Faith's first year at the helm. His defense executed, first preventing the Raiders from entering the offensive zone for the first 24 seconds before forcing a turnover on a wayward pass that sealed the win. Once the clock hit zero, the entire team flooded the field in joyous celebration.

"The girls are just so ecstatic," Faith said of his team's reaction to the win. "It's awesome to see them as confident as they are right now, and where they were when I took over. They believe in themselves, and they play with a lot of heart and a lot of pride. They're just beaming, and that's what being a coach is all about."

It did not always appear that it would be a close game throughout; Millersville leapt out to a 5–0 advantage in the first eight minutes on two goals from Keeney and three from Funk. In what was likely her final regular season contest as a Marauder, Funk set a career-high in goals with five. Keeney filled the box score as well, recording five points and four ground balls while causing four turnovers.

"I'm really happy for Kaleigh Funk," Faith said postgame. "She got her 100th point and she had five goals and an assist; she was a rock star today."

Next up for Millersville is a trip to East Stroudsburg to face the No. 13 Warriors in the PSAC Quarterfinals. The Marauders battled their nationally ranked foes to the finish in a 13–11 loss in the first meeting but suffered an 18–3 defeat on the road when they clashed most recently on April 19.

"They're a great team, (East Stroudsburg head coach Xeni Barakos-Yoder) does a great job up there," Faith said of the matchup with the Warriors. The last time we played them was not our best effort–effort, I'll stress that part. So, I know that we're going to play different, and we're going to let the scoreboard tell the story at the end of the game. But we will be a different team when we play up there on Tuesday."

That rematch is scheduled for next Tuesday, April 29, at 4 p.m.