Slippery Rock University Athletics

Box Score (HTML)
 
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University field hockey team was edged 1-0 by No. 3 Shippensburg in the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament Tuesday afternoon from Robb Sports Complex.
 
The third-ranked Raiders capitalized just over a minute into the game as Suzanne Muller blasted a pass to Lucy Kauffman, who sent a shot through traffic and found the back of the cage after the ball caromed past the screened-out Rock goalkeeper just 64 seconds into the match.
 
The early miscue would prove to doom The Rock, as the highly anticipated defensive battle would finish 1-0 in favor of the hosts.
 
Despite the result, Slippery Rock had one of its strongest performances of the season as they pushed No. 3 Shippensburg to the brink of elimination.
 
After being outshot 7-3 in the opening frame, The Rock came out of the break determined to net the equalizer as they flipped the field on the hosts and countered with a 5-2 advantage in shots on goal in the second half.
 
In the 41st minute, freshman Kailee Krupski snuck behind the Shippensburg defense and ripped a shot towards goal, but the Raiders goalkeeper made a frantic save to thwart The Rock's scoring opportunity.
 
With just over 10 minutes remaining in regulation, the hungry Rock offense surged forward as a shot from freshman Kylie McCarty appeared to find the game-tying goal, but a Raiders defender saved the ball at the line and a penalty corner was awarded.
 
In a flurry of action, Baylee Childress had her shot blocked before consecutive shots by sophomore Megan McKay and Childress again were each denied by the goalkeeper in the 60th minute.
 
The Raiders gained possession of the ball and drained out the final minutes of regulation to narrowly escape with the 1-0 victory and advance to the PSAC semifinals against No. 2 Millersville.
 
The Raiders edged The Rock in total shots (9-8) and penalty corners (11-3), while The Rock posted a 7-3 advantage in shots on goal.
 
Slippery Rock's stingy defense regrouped from the early mishap to clog the lanes and hold the nation's No. 3 team scoreless for nearly 69 minutes to finish the game. Despite being pressured by 11 penalty corners, junior goalkeeper Carlee DuMars had a strong game behind the defensive line as she made a pair of saves and allowed the single score.

The loss caps an impressive season for The Rock, who finish at 9-10 overall to claim the fourth-best single-season win total in program history. Meanwhile, No. 3 Shippensburg improves to 15-3 and advances to the semifinals of the PSAC Tournament Friday against No. 2 Millersville.