From left: Shippensburg seniors Beth Long (No. 10), Hannah Sperber (No. 5), Kelsey Browning (No. 15) and Hannah Taylor (No. 26).
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Lady Raider lacrosse team held their opponent under 10 goals on Thursday afternoon from Robb Sports Complex but could not find their offensive touch, dropping a 9-6 decision to visiting East Stroudsburg in a defensive struggle on a sunny Senior Day.
Shippensburg (8-8, 4-5 PSAC East) got two goals from senior
Hannah Taylor, one of four players recognized in pre-game ceremonies, but was stymied by the defense of the Warriors. ESU goalkeeper Kirstin Mayberry made 15 saves and held the Lady Raiders to just two goals in the second half.
Both teams were very cautious with their offensive opportunities in a contest that was whistled very tightly by the officials. Goals from junior
Gayle Kuntzmann, sophomore
Rachael Murray, Taylor and junior
Liz DiNunno had Shippensburg trailing by just one at halftime, 5-4.
Taylor tied the score at 5-5 less than four minutes into the second half, but ESU scored four of the final five tallies in the game. Sophomore
Katie Brewer cashed in on a free-position attempt with 9:51 to play, but a crucial whistle in the Shippensburg end led to a Warrior goal in the final three minutes that sealed the game.
Seniors
Beth Long,
Kelsey Browning and
Hannah Sperber joined Taylor in the pre-game ceremonies. The senior class has combined for 83 goals during their career, and the quartet has started in all 16 of Shippensburg's games this season.
Shippensburg concludes its regular season next Wednesday with a PSAC Eastern Division clash at Millersville. The opening draw is set for 4 p.m.