With five ticks remaining on the clock in Saturday’s contest versus Bloomsburg University, Shippensburg University’s Gabby Savarino took matters into her own hands. 

The shifty sophomore eluded multiple Huskies on a free-position shot to whisk in the game-tying goal, sending the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division rivals into overtime at 11 apiece. 

In the extra frame, fellow second-year midfielder Hannah Seifried called game with 1:48 left, striking the nylon for her fifth score of the day, propelling the Raiders (4-7, 4-6 PSAC East) to the 12-11 victory. 

Saturday’s clutch goals down the stretch from Savarino and Seifried served as the cherry on top of a dominant 64 minutes of play, as the duo accounted for nine of the 12 SU scores. 

The Raiders burst out to a 3-0 lead to open the game as sophomore Hannah Raines notched the first goal, her first of the season. Savarino and Seifried followed suit, each scoring across the next two minutes. 

BU (6-4, 6-4 PSAC East) countered with its first score before Seifried added another to her early total. The Huskies rattled off two more goals to come within one until Seifried would close out the first frame with a pair of scores, the second coming at the buzzer. SU would cling to a 6-3 first half lead. 

Out of the break, the teams would trade scores with SU holding the 7-4 advantage. However, BU came charging back, sparking a 4-0 run and giving the Huskies the upper hand. 

The Raiders refuted the Husky run, piecing together another trio of scores. Junior Alana Cardaci, Savarino and freshman Kayla Jones finding the back of the net. 

BU’s Kate Roberts and Anna Dempsey returned the favor, duplicating the Raiders’ success, climbing back on top with 2:33 remaining. However, the Huskies’ momentum would quickly diminish thanks to Savarino’s and Seifried’s late goals, falling 12-11. 

In the net, freshman Ally Weneta worked the entire game, allowing 11 goals and 11 saves. She garnered the win. 

Freshman Bailey Krahl collected the two Raider assists and junior Madi Jones and Seifried each scooped four groundballs. Savarino paced SU from the draw circle, capturing a season-high nine draw controls. 

But Saturday’s overtime thriller was not the only time the Raiders found themselves on the winning end this week. Traveling to Shepherd University Wednesday, SU reaped its revenge on the Rams, winning 12-9, following a 13-9 loss nearly a month prior. 

The victory was not only monumental for the team as a whole, but for Seifried, who snagged her 100th career draw control. Seifried’s century mark cemented her as the sixth Raider to reach the feat. 

Cardaci and Savarino got the ball rolling for SU, scoring the first two goals of the game. Shepherd (4-6, 3-6 PSAC East) responded with two of their own to even the game before Seifried, junior Maddy Siejk and Cardaci constructed a 3-0 run. 

After another Rams’ score, Cardaci returned to the scoring column, netting her fifth hat trick of the 2021 campaign and the 22nd of her collegiate career. Krahl tickled the twine less than a minute later, jetting SU to a 7-3 advantage. 

The Rams withstood the Raiders’ pressure, chipping away at the deficit with a 3-0 run, trimming the margin to one at the half. 

The SU defense would come alive in the second stanza, collaring the Rams’ offense to a lone goal in the first 26 minutes. The Raiders would also use runs of 3-0 and 2-0 to sustain a five-point advantage. Shepherd snuck two shots past in the final four minutes but it was far too late. 

Weneta thrived again in goal, conceding nine scores while recording 11 saves. Jones led the team in ground balls (4), Krahl and freshman Addie Kalama each contributed two assists and Savarino tacked on four draw controls to compliment her hat trick. Seifried used three draw controls to corral her milestone while etching out another hat trick, her sixth on the year. 

Owners of three wins in their last four contests, the Raiders return to Robb Sports Complex Saturday for their final home match against the Golden Bears of Kutztown University. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. 

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