MOUNT OLIVE (Sept. 6) – In a highly competitive top-10 contest, the No. 7 ranked Trojans surrendered a fourth-quarter goal to suffer a 1-0 loss against No. 3 Shippensburg in the season-opener at Ray McDonald Sr. Sports Complex on Friday.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive field hockey program drops to 0-1 after being selected as the preseason favorite in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) poll. It marked the third straight year the sides faced off during the opening weekend of the season. Meanwhile, the Raiders improve to 1-0 overall after reaching the NCAA Semifinals in 2023 behind a 15-5 mark.
In the first quarter, Shippensburg pressured the offensive end in the opening minutes before senior
Amber Dercksen registered back-to-back shots for the Trojans. At the 8:58 mark, Mount Olive recorded its first penalty corner and saw a shot go wide of the cage as the contest remained scoreless. The Raiders nearly got onto the board in the final moments of the first before sophomore
Julie Gerla registered a defensive save in front of the goal. Shippensburg got back on the offensive side of the field to begin the second quarter and totaled three penalty corners in the initial six-plus minutes. Mount Olive responded with a trio of shots, including one on goal by Dercksen at the 22:20 mark. The Raiders delivered a pair of shots in the closing minutes with senior goalkeeper
Alanna Barrett recording a save.
The Trojans attempted to break the deadlock in the third quarter after totaling three shots on goal and a pair of penalty corners. The Raider defense held tough as the Trojans were awarded three additional corners later in the third. In the final minutes, Barrett collected a save at the 42:55 mark before the contest went into the final 15 minutes. Following a substitution early in the fourth, Anne Garnder of Shippensburg scored the only goal of the contest after beating the goalie one-on-one following a through ball from Agus Garibaldi, 1-0. Mount Olive had two shots late in the fourth quarter saved by the Raider goalie, as Shippensburg secured the 1-0 shutout.
Barrett finished the contest with four saves after facing 13 total shots in 60 minutes of action.
Both sides totaled 13 shots in the contest while UMO finished with a 10-8 edge in penalty corners.
The Trojans return to Ray McDonald Sr. Sports Complex tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 7, to face IUP in non-conference play at 11 a.m.
