The sticks fell to the ground, the opposition hung their heads low and the Shippensburg University women’s lacrosse team swarmed freshman Bailey Krahl. 

Krahl, who took a lead pass from sophomore Gabby Savarino, fired the game-clinching goal in overtime Tuesday to defeat the Marauders of Millersville University (2-6, 2-5 PSAC East) by a score of 12-11. The win came at a much-needed time for the Raiders, owners of a 1-6 record entering the contest. 

Prior to the golden goal, SU and MU traded scores the entire way through. The Raiders held a 7-6 edge at the break before the Marauders flipped the script, outscoring SU 5-4 in the second frame. 

Savarino – who tallied the game-winning assist off a ground ball scoop – opened the scoring less than a minute in. Across the next 20 minutes of play, the teams would barter goals back-and-forth on four occasions, the score evening out at five. In that span, sophomore Hannah Seifried tallied two goals, Savarino added another and junior Alana Cardaci also contributed to the cause. 

Cardaci would then piece together her own 2-0 run – completing the hat trick – before MU found the net with 42 ticks remaining, SU taking the 7-6 lead into the half. 

Out of the break, Seifried reached hat trick status at the 28:10 mark. Krahl responded off a Marauder goal at 21:14, still bestowing SU the upper hand. After two MU scores, which tied the game, Savarino propelled the Raiders back into the lead on her third goal of the day, her second hat trick of the season. 

However, Millersville’s Gillian Zimmerman’s goal with 2:13 remaining sent the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division foes into overtime, where Krahl eventually helped the Raiders claim victor. 

In the net, freshman Ally Weneta worked all 60 minutes, tying her season-high 15 saves and allowing 11 goals. She garnered the win. 

Junior Madi Jones paced the Raiders with four ground balls, Krahl tacked on two assists to her career day and junior Jessica DeMarte snagged a game-high six draw controls. 

Following the momentous win Tuesday, Saturday’s contest versus the No. 5 ranked Golden Rams of West Chester University (7-0, 7-0 PSAC East) did not reside in favor of the Raiders, with WCU coming out on top 16-8. 

The Golden Rams used a 13-2 first half to stymie any chance of a SU rally. The Raiders, however, would find themselves on the front end of a 6-3 advantage in the second stanza, not nearly enough to pull off the upset. 

Over the course of the first frame, WCU erected runs of 2-0, 3-0 and 8-0. The 8-0 burst coming as the “closer” of the first half. 

For SU, Cardaci and Krahl accounted for the pair of goals, with Cardaci’s charting at 25:33 and Krahl’s, 16:36. 

The final 30 minutes of the game fared better for the Raiders, as Savarino and Seifried got in the scoring category. Cardaci followed suit with two goals, rounding out her second hat trick of the week and the fourth of her 2021 campaign. Freshman Addie Kalama also slung a shot into the twine, the first goal of her collegiate career. 

Seifried completed SU’s week of scoring with 11 beats remaining. The final result: a 16-8 drubbing. 

Weneta conceded 16 goals in the loss, saving 13 shots along the way. Seifried and Savarino notched the two lone assists, while freshman Kayla Jones matched team-highs in ground balls and draw controls (2). 

SU returns to the turf Wednesday on the road against Shepherd University before hosting the Huskies of Bloomsburg University Saturday at Robb Sports Complex. Wednesday’s start time is slated for 4 p.m.

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