SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The No. 4 Bloomsburg field hockey team saw its quest for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship come to an end on Friday afternoon, falling in overtime, 2-1, to No. 1 Shippensburg in the semifinals at Robb Sports Complex.
 
It was the third-straight postseason matchup between Bloomsburg (15-5) and Shippensburg (17-1) that required overtime and the first semifinals matchup between the two teams since 2013.
 
The first half saw the Huskies on the defensive, with the Raiders bombarding Bloomsburg with 10 shots. Jackie Nevel (Nescopeck, Pa./Berwick Area) stood tall in the cage with six saves.
 
The Huskies recorded their first shot of the contest after earning a corner halfway through the third quarter. Bella Culp (Dauphin, Pa./Central Dauphin) saw her shot attempt get blocked before Aydan McFarland (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg Area) and Kate Ferguson (Harrisburg, Pa./Susquehanna Township) each tested Raiders' goaltender Emma Albee.
 
Bloomsburg earned a second corner with saw McFarland fire in a shot from the top of the circle and beat Albee to give the maroon and gold a 1-0 lead.
 
Nevel continued to turn aside chances from Shippensburg throughout the second half, recording another six saves. SU earned a corner with a minute to go, as Valu Paul found the back of the net to tie the game with 54 seconds remaining.
 
Bloomsburg held off the Raiders for much of overtime before Alexa Michielsen notched the game-winner to send Shippensburg to the PSAC Championship game.
 
Nevel recorded a season-high 13 saves to bring her season total to 77.
 
Overall, Shippensburg outshot Bloomsburg 30-4 in the contest with a 15-3 advantage in shots on goal.
 
The Huskies now await the NCAA Selection Show on Monday, November 11 at 3 p.m. in hopes of earning an NCAA tournament bid for the first time since 2011.