KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Kutztown University women's soccer team opened up the 2009 season with a 2-1 overtime win over Mercyhurst College in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference crossover contest.
Shannon Pennock (Mansfield, N.J./Northern Burlington) (Mansfield, N.J./Northern Burlington) popped the gamewinner over the goalies head :39 seconds into overtime. Jen Pyne (Wall Township, N.J./Wall) (Wall, N.J./Wall) dribbled through traffic and found enough of an opening to set Pennock up for the score, giving the Golden Bear (1-0) squad a reason to storm the field in celebration.
The Golden Bears also celebrated their first ever win over the Lakers (0-1) in school history. Mercyhurst, who entered the game nationally ranked No. 8 in the preseason poll, won the first six meetings between the two teams until Pennock's kick found the back the net.
"I am so happy for the girls on this team," says coach Erik Burstein. "The win today took a tremendous effort from everyone and I hope it acts as a platform for the rest of the season. We have a very talented group, and as long as we stay focused and continue to grow, I think we can achieve great things this season."
Mercyhurst opened up the scoring late in the first half with an unassisted goal by Danielle Braun.
With 5:37 remaining in the game and the Golden Bears trailing 1-0, 2008 PSAC East Rookie of the Year Chelsea Bressler (Cleona, PA/Annville-Cleona) (Cleona/Annville-Cleona) tied the contest with a shot past the goalie into the right corner. Minutes later Pennock missed a possible gamewinner with a shot that trickled just left of the goal.
Junior captain Chelsea Deeter (Langhorne, PA/Neshaminy) (Langhorne/Neshaminy) and Kelly Rozembersky (Roxbury, N.J./Roxbury) (Roxbury, N.J./Roxbury), along with the rest of the KU defense kept the Mercyhurst offense at bay.
"Our back line (anchored by Deeter) was superb today," reiterated Burstein "I am so impressed with the effort the girls gave today and the quality they played with...What can I say, I am completely overwhelmed."
Both teams provided stellar defense throughout the contest, as KU freshman Alyssa Hackelberg (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) made four saves and earned her first collegiate win in net.
Burstein, who was impressed with the play of his young talent, said "pre-season camp was geared toward helping the team grow as a unit. We have a lot of new faces again this season, so we needed to get them acclimated to things as soon as possible. I am thrilled with their development, but now, we must remain focused and prepare for the rest of the season."
The Golden Bears will return to action on Wednesday, September 2 at 3 p.m. on Keystone Field to open up conference play against Mansfield.
