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BLOOMSBURG – The third-ranked Bloomsburg University field hockey team will continue its quest for a fifth straight NCAA Division II National Championship as the Huskies square off against second-ranked Shippensburg on Thursday, Dec. 2 at 4 p.m. in the semi-final round at the Division II Sports Festival in Louisville, KY.

Appearing in its ninth straight NCAA semi-final match, Bloomsburg (19-2) is aiming to win its seventh NCAA title in the last eight years.

As a program, Bloomsburg owns 16 national championships and have won four national championships consecutively on two different occasions (2006-09, 1996-99), something no other NCAA program has accomplished.

Bloomsburg is riding a 14-game winning streak dating back to Oct. 5 under first-year head coach Nikki Rhoads, a three-time All-American and winner of two national championships as a player with the Huskies. She replaced Bloomsburg legend Jan Hutchinson who retired after 32 seasons as head coach.

In their only meeting of the season on Sept. 25, the Lady Raiders defeated the Huskies 3-1 as senior Julia Rush (Quakertown, Quakertown) scored the lone BU goal on a penalty stroke. Bloomsburg did hold a 13-5 shots advantage and an 11-6 corner advantage on the day. Ashley Taylor, Amanda Strous, and Bre White each scored a goal in the victory for Shippensburg (20-1).

In 54 career games, Bloomsburg holds an all-time record of 42-11-1 against the Lady Raiders.

On the season, junior Amanda Riley (Tannersville, Pocono Mountain East), the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Athlete of the Year, leads the team offensively with 19 goals and 15 assists for 53 points. Seven of her goals have been game-winning. Sophomore Lauren McGinley (Wilkes-Barre, Coughlin) is second with 11 goals and two assists for 24 points. Sophomore Jenna DiSabatino (Mountain Top, Crestwood) is the third player with double digits in goals, as she has 10 goals and three assists for 23 points. Four of J. DiSabatino's goals have been game-winning. Overall the Huskies have a balanced scoring attack with 15 players having scored at least one goal with eight or more of those having five or more goals.

In the cage, sophomore Meghan Hollenbach (Blandon, Fleetwood) has played well, posting a 1.07 goals against average for the season with four shutouts and 55 saves. Her record is 18-2 during her year as starter.

Shippensburg, under head coach Bertie Landes, is making its seventh appearance in the national tournament. Over the last eight seasons, the Lady Raiders have played in the national tournament seven times. Going undefeated during the regular season and earning a first-round tournament bye, the team's only loss came to East Stroudsburg in the first round of the PSAC playoffs.

White leads SU offensively on the year with 16 goals and 10 assists for 42 points. She leads the team with a perfect 3-of-3 in penalty strokes. Kristina Taylor is second with 19 goals and two assists for 40 points. She has five game-winning goals. A. Taylor is third with 10 goals and a team-leading 12 assists for 32 points. Strous and Katie Purnock also have double digits in goals.

Goalkeeper Ciarra Delost has played in all 21 games, posting a 0.81 goals against average with four shutouts and 52 saves. Her record is 19-1 this season.

In the other semi-final match, fifth-ranked Stonehill College will take on first-ranked UMass Lowell at 1 p.m. On Nov. 20, the two teams met in the Northeast-10 Championship match, with UMass Lowell a 6-1 winner.

Stonehill (16-6), under head coach Shelly Morris, will be making their second straight and third overall semi-final appearance after defeating American International 1-0 on Nov. 23. Lindsey Pinkham scored the lone goal for the Skyhawks early in the second half off of the Devin Ingersoll assist.

Kathryn Nelson leads the Skyhawk offense with 19 goals and three assists for 41 points. Nine of her goals have been game-winning and two have come in overtime. Pinkham is second for Stonehill with eight goals and six assists for 22 points. Courtney Foley is third for the Skyhawks with six goals and seven assists for 19 points.

In goal, Courtney Osier has a goals against average of 1.48, posting seven shutouts and 94 saves. She is 16-6 in 2010.

UMass Lowell (22-0), under head coach Shannon Hlebichuk, received a first-round bye during the quarterfinals and is playing in its eighth straight national tournament. The River Hawks are looking to play in their fourth straight national championship match and win their second title since 2005.

Sammy Macy paces the River Hawks offensively with 30 goals and 15 assists. The 75 points is a program best for a season and Macy is the leading scorer in program history with 219. Katie Enaire is second with 28 goals and seven assists for 63 points. Liz Day, the NE-10 Player of the Year, is third with 12 goals and a team-best 14 assists for 38 points.

In net, Melanie Hopkins has a stellar 0.33 goals against average, notching 15 shutouts and 73 saves. She has allowed only seven goals with a 22-0 record.

The NCAA Division II Championship game is set for Saturday, Dec. 4 at 1:30 p.m.