#3 Field Hockey Suffers 4-1 Defeat at #3 Shippensburg in NCAA Tournament Sunday

Links: Box Score

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa.  – Appearing in the program's fifth NCAA Tournament after receiving an at-large berth to the NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championship, the No. 3 and fifth-seeded Merrimack College field hockey program dropped a 4-1 decision to No. 3 and fourth-seeded Shippensburg University on Sunday afternoon at the Robb Sports Complex in Shippensburg, Pa.

Sunday marked the first-ever game between Merrimack and Shippensburg – the two-time defending Division II National Champions. The hosts scored three times in the opening half to gain control of the game, while junior goalkeeper Katharina Ohmen made seven second-half saves to keep the Warriors in the contest. Junior Lindey Nolte scored the Warriors' lone tally, potting a goal with 12 minutes remaining.

Merrimack concludes the 2018 campaign with a school-record 18 wins and the program's first Northeast-10 Conference Tournament Championship.

The Basics
Score: #3 Shippensburg 4, #3 Merrimack 1
Records: #5 Merrimack (18-4) | #3 Shippensburg (17-4)
Location: Shippensburg, Pa. | Robb Sports Complex

NCAA Championship Schedule
Sunday, November 25
First Round – Higher Seeds
Game 1:  #5 Merrimack at #4 Shippensburg (4-1 SHIP)
Game 2:  #6 Saint Anselm at #3 Pace (6-1 PACE)
Thursday, November 29
Semifinals  – at Duquesne University's Rooney Field (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Game 3:  #4 Shippensburg vs. #1 West Chester (2 p.m.)
Game 4:  #3 Pace vs. #2 East Stroudsburg (5 p.m.)
Saturday, December 1
Championship  – at Duquesne University's Rooney Field (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 
Game 5:  Game #3 Winner vs. #4 East Stroudsburg (1 p.m.)

Scoring Summary

• SHIP (1-0) – Twelve minutes into the opening half, the hosts opened the scoring. Inserting their third corner of the game, the Raiders were able to feed leading scorer Jazmin Petrantonio who found the back of the net to put Shippensburg ahead early
• SHIP (2-0) – The Raiders doubled their lead three minutes later. A long hit by Shippensburg reached the end line, where forward Valen Alonso was able to collect the ball and pot a goal with under 20 minutes left in the first half
• SHIP (3-0) – Ohmen nearly made a sprawling stop to prevent the Raiders' third goal of the first half, but the ball snuck under her pads to make it a 3-0 contest at the 6:17 mark
• SHIP (4-0) – The Bremen, Germany native made four second-half saves over the first 14 minutes, but a rebound rolled towards the far post after her fourth stop of the stanza. The loose ball was potted by the Raiders for the hosts' fourth goal of the day
• MC (4-1) – Out of a timeout with under 12 minutes left, the Warriors scored their first goal. Freshman Alex McDonald entered the lineup and fed Nolte at the left post, who deked the Raiders goalie and scored down low to cut Merrimack's deficit to three

Top Performers

• Ohmen's effort in net kept Merrimack in the game in the second half. She finished the day with seven saves, all of which came in the second stanza
• Senior Delaney Yule notched her fourth defensive save of the year, finishing the year as Merrimack's leader
• Nolte's marker set a new career best for the junior as she registered her sixth goal of the year
• McDonald notched her first collegiate assist in her 10^th game of the season

Notes and Notables

• Sunday marked the final career games for seniors Mary McNeil, Samantha Bartush and Yule. All three Warriors will head out to Pittsburgh, Pa. later this week to compete in the Victory Sports Tours/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Senior Game
• The Warriors finished the season with a program-record 18 wins, their first-ever conference tournament title and the program's fifth NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championship berth
• Merrimack entered the day with a 4-4 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, appearing in its fifth tournament as a program. The Warriors' previous four appearances occurred in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015.