The #2 East Stroudsburg University Warriors (13-3) (6-2) defeated Slippery Rock University (10-7) (5-4) in a women’s field hockey game Saturday at Mihalik-Thompson Field by a score of 3-0. The game was Senior Day for SRU and The Rock’s final home game of the regular season.
The game would remain scoreless for the entire first half despite nine shots being taken total by both teams in the half. Senior goalkeeper Nicole Bream, one of five seniors on SRU’s roster, recorded two saves out of the four shots taken by East Stroudsburg. The other two shots taken by the Warriors went wide of the net and were not counted as saves. Senior goalkeeper Halle Frisco recorded two saves for East Stroudsburg in the first half. The Rock received credit for four shots taken in the half. Frisco did not receive credit for the other two shots taken by SRU as those shots went wide of the net. Senior forward Kailee Krupski and senior midfielder Kayla Mack both recorded shots in the first half. Kailee Krupski was credited with one shot taken in the first half whereas Mack was credited with taking two shots in the first half. The game marked Mack’s 72nd consecutive start which ranks fifth in program history.
“[The seniors] did great. They left it all out there and they did a great job,” Head coach Julie Swiney said.
The game’s first point would be scored a little more than ten minutes into the second half when junior midfielder Paige Harrold scored a goal for East Stroudsburg putting East Stroudsburg up 1-0. The goal was Harrold’s second of the season. Sophomore forward/midfielder Sara Ober received credit for the assist on Harrold’s goal.
Down 1-0 with 8:40 left in the game, SRU took its only timeout. “We just talked about how we needed to score and that they needed to believe that they could win the game,” Swiney said.
Less than two minutes after SRU’s timeout, senior forward Melanie Shambaugh scored another goal for the Warriors which put them up 2-0. That goal was Shambaugh’s team-leading tenth goal of the season. East Stroudsburg added an additional goal onto their 2-0 lead less than three minutes later making the score 3-0 which ended up being the final score for the contest.
East Stroudsburg has won three games in a row by shutout and has won five of its last six games.
“They’re just a disciplined, skilled, fit team. They possess the ball well,” Swiney said.
East Stroudsburg recorded 12 shots in the second half giving them a total 16 shots for the entire contest. Melanie Shambaugh led her team in shots taken with four shots. Slippery Rock recorded took two shots in the second half giving them a total of seven shots taken for the entire game. Freshman forward Kayla Ulrich led SRU in shots taken with three.
SRU’s senior class being Kailee Krupski, Kayla Mack, Nicole Bream, forward Alyssa Castle, and midfielder Tori Rose has won 31 games since their careers began back in 2014. That is the fourth highest total in SRU’s 41-year history.
Slippery Rock University will play its regular-season finale this Saturday, Oct. 28th against Millersville University (13-3)(7-1) who currently owns a ten game winning streak. The game will take place in Millersville, Pa. at Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium. The game will begin at 12 p.m.
