SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The 10th-ranked Kutztown University field hockey team kept second-ranked Shippensburg University off the board for more than 53 minutes in its nationally-ranked showdown Wednesday. The Raiders stroke gold with two scores less than seven minutes apart to pull away to a 2-0 win over KU.
 
With one game left in the regular season, the Golden Bears (10-7, 4-5 PSAC) look ahead to a winner-take-all game on the road against Indiana University (PA) (9-7, 4-5) on Saturday, Oct. 29, at 1 p.m. The winner will make the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) playoffs as the No. 6 seed – the loser will miss the postseason.
 
The Raiders (15-2, 8-1) have proven to be one of the best teams in the country this year. They out-shot Kutztown 10-1 in each half Wednesday, 20-2 total, as goalkeeper Chardonnay Hope (New Castle, Del./William Penn) did all she could to keep KU in the game. She stopped 10-of-12 shots on-goal, but Shippensburg scored off a quick pass inside the circle at the left post, and off a loose ball with Hope still recovering from her initial save.
 
Kutztown split its two games with IUP last season, snapping a previous nine-game skid to the Crimson Hawks.