KUTZTOWN, Pa. (September 16, 2010) – In just the second game of the year, the Kutztown University field hockey team may have their toughest and most anticipated game on the schedule.
A rematch from last year's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) semifinal, the Golden Bears play host to the No.1 ranked Lady Raiders of Shippensburg University this Saturday at 11 a.m. Kutztown (1-0 overall) comes into Saturday's game ranked fifth in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II National Coaches Poll.
Kutztown was unable to defeat Ship last year as they went 0-3 against the Lady Raiders.
Playing No. 1 ranked teams however is nothing new for the Golden Bears. Kutztown defeated Bloomsburg last year on the road, 2-1, when the Huskies were ranked No. 1.
Shippensburg (3-0 overall), has been led by their high-octane offense which has ten players with goals this year, including junior Kristina Taylor and freshman Bre White who both have four goals in their opening three games. Shippensburg has seen early success when playing away games as all three of their victories have come on the road. The Lady Raiders are picked to win the Western Division in the PSAC field hockey preseason coaches' poll.
Shippensburg has outscored its three opponents this season by a 23-2 margin. By virtue of this success, the Lady Raiders currently lead Division II in five major statistical categories: scoring average (7.67), goals per game (7.67), scoring margin (7.0), assists per game (4.67) and points per game (20.0).
“When I look at their roster, they're quite talented; they're athletes,” said Coach Betty Wesner. “Taylor is certainly someone we will need to keep an eye on. They have some highly talented offensive players we are going to have to reckon with.”
In the closing game of last year's season, the Golden Bears fell to Shippensburg in a tough defensive battle, 2-0. In a game that saw only 12 total shots on goal, the Shippensburg defense was their key to success as they smothered the Kutztown forwards.
This year however, the Golden Bear offense has already proven they are able to finish opportunities by scoring goals. In their first game of the year, Kutztown amounted 24 shots against Slippery Rock goalkeeper Lisa Belcastro, three of which turning into goals.
After building a 2-0 lead late in the second half, Kutztown found themselves in a tight, one goal game as The Rock were able to come back with a couple goals of their own. Thanks to some late penalty corners, Kutztown defensive back Katie Brautigan took advantage and scored with under five minutes to go to give the Golden Bears an eventual 3-2 victory.
Kutztown is a young team, having lost five starters from last year, but Wesner is confident that the 'new-looked' Golden Bears will be able to put themselves in a good position for a great outcome this weekend.
“We've been working on fundamentals," Wesner said. "We have a lot of talent and energy with our new players. All we need is now is to work together and gel so we can play with some confidence.”
Sophomore midfielder Emily Labowitz has surely enjoyed this offensive surge for the Golden Bears, as she recorded a goal and assist off 11 shots in last weekend's victory. Fellow midfielders Kim Angstadt and Jenna Gregory also hope to have an impact this weekend.
Junior goalkeeper Emily Falko started her 2010 season off quite well, as she recorded a save and no goals allowed in her 41 minutes played last weekend against The Rock. The KU defense led by Katie Brautigan (Bernville, PA/Tulpehocken) will surely be a decisive factor in Saturday's key matchup.
This is the second of three straight home games to begin the season for the Golden Bears, who host Millersville Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in their PSAC East opener.
