East Stroudsburg, Pa. - The Millersville field hockey team is headed to the PSAC Championship game for a fourth consecutive season after defeating Bloomsburg 1-0 Friday afternoon in East Stroudsburg. One well-executed penalty stroke from Margaret Thorwart was all the Marauders needed as they relied on the nation's top-ranked defense for hold the Huskies without a shot for 70 minutes.

Just 56 minutes into the game, Millersville drew a penalty stroke following a shot by Arianna Grays. Coach Shelly Behrens called on Thorwart, who rifled the ball past All-PSAC goalkeeper Lindsay Cassel for her fourth goal of the season. More than 69 minute of of game time remained, but that mattered little to a defense led by Taylor Parker, Aubrey Hartman, Kayla Bixler and goalkeeper Samantha Rumler. The Marauder notched their Division II-best 13th shutout of the season and held Bloomsburg to just one shot on one penalty corner. Millersville has allowed just two goals over the last 15 games.

Millersville kept the pressure on Cassel and the Huskies, totaling 12 penalty corners and 11 shots. Cassel finished with six saves, stopping four in the 30 minutes. Four of Millersville's six first half shots were placed on goal. When the Huskies broke free for an offensive rush, Parker and Hartman were there to end the threat. Bloomsburg's first and only penalty corner came with less than 12 minutes to play. The shot that followed was stopped immediately by a Marauder defender. Millersville also received significant crunchtime minutes from freshman Jessica Lapp, who was inserted into the lineup when senior Lauren Gerhart exited with an injury.

The win pushes Millersville to the championship round for a fourth consecutive season--a feat never before accomplished in program history. The Marauders won the title in 2013 and finished runner-up in 2012 and 2014. Awaiting the Marauders is the winner of the West Chester/East Stroudsburg semifinal. West Chester was Millersville's opponent in the 2012 and 2014 championships and East Stroudsburg gave Millersville its only blemish on an otherwise perfect slate.