Shepherd University sophomore Anaya Lozano kicks the ball past Gannon University goalkeeper Morgan Sinan, during the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference quarterfinals at McConnell Family Stadium on Saturday. Shepherd won the game, 2-0. Photo by David Pennock

SHEPHERDSTOWN — As the wind picked up Sunday in the Shepherd University versus Gannon University Atlantic Regional women’s soccer game, it was the Rams whose sails were billowed. Three second-half goals counted by the Rams cemented a 4-0 win over the team from Erie, Pa. and sent Shepherd wafting off to this Sunday’s 1 p.m. Regional final at its cozy home on west campus to face West Chester University — a rival from the PSAC that Shepherd stunned 3-0 recently, enroute to the conference tournament championship.

Gannon had lost only twice all season, prior to being blunted by the Shepherd defense. One of those losses had been to Shepherd in the conference tournament.

The bookkeeping for this Atlantic Region title game shows that Shepherd comes in playing its finest soccer of the season — having won over Gannon (twice), West Chester and Kutztown by a combined score of 13-1 in its last four games. Only one of those contests was played at Shepherd.

Sunday’s home game against Gannon was actually scoreless, before Reagan Ackermann scored after an assist pass from Anaya Lozano at the 40:48 mark near the close of the first half. The Rams carried that 1-0 lead into the halftime intermission.

The tension of the breezy afternoon wasn’t altered at all until action, at the 69:50 mark, by Merritt Delk, one of the two reserves the Rams used on the historic afternoon. Delk scored after Josie Beezel’s assist to boost the Ram lead to 2-0 and further invigorated the players and the pre-Thanksgiving crowd that was mostly populated by adults with students already on the school’s holiday break.

Shepherd University senior Erika Moore carries the ball past an opponent from Gannon University, during the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference quarterfinals at McConnell Family Stadium on Saturday. Photo by David Pennock

About 10 minutes later, Lozano used a Lydia Gable assist to score, giving Shepherd additional room with a 3-0 lead.

Gable’s unassisted goal made it 4-0, with only 10 minutes left before the Shepherd celebration began and word of the next tournament opponent was received.

Now there are just 16 teams left alive in the tournament that determines the national champion — two of which are Shepherd and West Chester.

Shepherd goalkeeper Hannah Wilt posted the shutout in net and was credited with three saves in all.

Ram starters playing all 90 minutes were Sarah Peternel, Sofia Carrera, Erika Moore, Adrianna Morales, Annabelle Wunderlich and Wilt.

Both Katelyn Economopoulos and Gable played over 80 minutes with other starters Beezel (74 minutes), Ackermann (78 minutes) and Lozano (76 minutes) also playing long stretches of effective minutes. Delk played 32 minutes and Olivia Gardner was on-field for 21 minutes.

This Sunday’s Regional championship game opponent West Chester defeated West Virginia State and Fairmont State in this tournament to qualify for this match with Shepherd.

The winner on Sunday will go on to the national quarterfinals, where it will face the winner of the Thomas Jefferson College vs. Franklin Pierce game. Jefferson upset St. Anselm, while Franklin Pierce is the New Hampshire-based school that defeated Shepherd, 2-1, last season in the national quarterfinals to end the Rams’ best-ever season a year ago.

Shepherd’s record is now 12-1-6. It has won six straight times, taking it to Sunday, where the 1 p.m. game might again give it another program highlight in the limelight of the national quarterfinals.