INDIANAPOLIS – The Shepherd University women’s soccer team was named the No. 1 seed fo the Atlantic bracket and will be a host the opening rounds of the NCAA Division II playoffs on Friday and Sunday.
Fourth-seeded Gannon (15-2-2) will face fifth-seeded Bloomsburg (10-6-2) on Friday at 1 p.m. at Shepherd. The Rams (11-1-6) will face the winner on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Rams received a first-round bye in the seven-team bracket.
The lower half of bracket features No. 2 West Chester vs. No. 7 West Virginia State and No. 3 Kutztown vs. No. 6 Fairmont State.
The two finalists will play Nov. 30 for the right to advance to the national quarterfinals.
The semifinals and championship game will be played in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Shepherd earned the top seed on Sunday when the Rams defended their PSAC Championship with a 4-1 victory against Kutztown, played at West Chester.
The Rams topped Kutztown, 3-2, in the 2024 championship game.
Shepherd’s Josie Beezel, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player, scored what proved to be the winning goal off an assist by Anaya Lozano at the 7:11 mark to give the Rams a 2-0 lead.
Erika Moore scored an unassisted goal at the 2:34 mark to give the Rams a 1-0 lead.
The Rams took a 3-0 halftime lead when Lydia Gable scored on a pass from Reagan Ackermann at the 32:00 mark.
Kutztown averted the shutout when Corinne Morgan scored on a pass from Caroline McDonald at the 63:07 mark to cut the deficit to 3-1.
Shepherd closed out the scoring on a second goal by Gable off a pass from Annabelle Wunderlich at the 70:31 mark.
Shepherd goalkeeper Hannah Wilt collected three saves, while Kutztown’s Morgan O’Donnell recorded eight saves. Shepherd had a 24-7 shot advantage.
COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
Shepherd falls to Indiana (Pa.) in PSAC Tournament
INDIANA, Pa. – Shepherd University was eliminated in three sets by host Indiana, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Tournament.
The Rams (19-10) dropped a 25-16, 25-20, 25-11 decision.
Outside hitter Amya Davis and middle/right side hitter Sophia Ryan each had six kills and two digs to lead Shepherd. Outside hitter Ada McCoy added four kills and two blocks, while middle hitter Rylee Lenz contributed three kills, four blocks and two digs.
Setter Macy Buso recorded 17 assists and a team-high 10 digs.
The Rams await word on possible seeding for the upcoming NCAA tournament.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Banks named PSAC East Athlete of the Week
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Shepherd guard Marcus Banks has been named PSAC East Athlete of the Week as announced by the league office on Tuesday.
Banks led the Rams men’s basketball team to a 2-0 week as he averaged 21.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 3.0 steals. He scored a career-high 25 points in Friday’s win at Virginia State.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Shepherd falls to Bowie State in overtime
BOWIE, Md. – Malaka Cobb scored nine of her game-high 27 points in overtime to lead Bowie State (1-1) to an 82-72 win over Shepherd University at the Bowie State Tip-Off Classic on Sunday.
Shepherd (1-1) was led by forward Lamaria Estridge and junior guard Grace Middleton.
Estridge scored 18 points, while Middleton added 17 points. Estridge also grabbed six boards, while Middleton had five assists.
Jenna Liska added 14 points and 10 rebounds and Kara Webner 13 points for Shepherd.
Shepherd led 34-31 lead at halftime. The game featured seven ties and seven lead changes.
Werner drained a three-pointer with 46 seconds left in regulation to force the extra session. Bowie State outscored Shepherd 16-6 in overtime to earn the win.
