LOCK HAVEN, Pa. — After finishing seventh in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) last season, the Millersville field hockey team finds itself down a spot and voted as the No. 8 team according to the coaches in the PSAC's preseason poll.
Head Coach Shelly Behrens enters her 18th season at the helm for the Marauders, looking to recreate the success of her prior years as the leader of the field hockey team. Previously, the Marauders found themselves in the PSAC postseason in 2022 but have failed to return to conference postseason play since. Behrens led the team to an 8–9 record last year, with seven of those nine losses being by just one goal.
Behrens' team has a whole new look this year, with significant roster turnover and the departure of two of her three All-PSAC honorees, Caitlin Wasserman and Morgan Lennon, who graduated this past spring. The Marauders graduated seven players last year and brought in a strong recruiting class of six freshmen who are expected to contribute early.
The Marauders look to their only returning All-PSAC selection from the 2024 season, Emma Ruley, for a majority of offensive production. Ruley, a senior, improved her offensive skill set in her junior year and looks to build off that strong campaign, in which she set career highs in goals (5), points (10), and shots (20). The highlight of the Marauders' 2024 season was Ruley's game-winning goal against ninth-ranked Mansfield.
Other players expected to contribute to the team's success include senior Paige Webster, who was the sixth-highest point scorer for the Marauders in 2024, and junior Erin Esterhuizen, who steps into a larger role due to the team's large graduating class.
The Marauders retained Sarah Crysler as a goalkeeper, but heading into camp, it remains uncertain who will start in goal. Transfer student Adeline Arkhurst, arriving from Towson, adds competition to the position. With the departure of Kerstin Koons, the starting goaltender from the 2024 season, the position will be up for grabs going into the first contest this September.
Millersville opens its season on Thursday, September 4, at Pace University in Pleasantville, New York.
2025 PSAC Field Hockey Preseason Poll (# of first-place votes in parentheses)
1. Kutztown (7)
2. East Stroudsburg (2)
3. Shippensburg (1)
4. West Chester
5. Bloomsburg
6. Mansfield
7. IUP
8. Millersville
9. Frostburg State
10. Slippery Rock
