WEST CHESTER, PA (September 15, 2010) – The big picture following Kutztown University's 1-0 defeat to West Chester University in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) women's soccer match at South Campus Field Wednesday afternoon is that this was the fifth game of a long season and there are 12 matches remaining. (BOXSCORE)
Sure, a victory over their longtime rivals would've been sweeter than cotton candy, but for the Golden Bears, it's all about taking steps forward and growing as a team. On those two accounts, Kutztown headed home a much better team than when it left campus earlier in the day. The Golden Bears, ranked 15th in the latest National Soccer Coaches' Association of America (NSCAA) Top 25 poll, went toe-to-toe with the fifth-ranked Golden Rams.
The difference in the game was Jen Gangl's header that landed in the back corner of the net in the 62nd minute off of Sarah Oswald's corner kick. Despite that goal, Kutztown continued attacking and creating opportunities to score the equalizer.
“We're disappointed in the result but not the performance,” Kutztown head coach Erik Burstein said. “We had them 0-0 at the half, and we knew West Chester would elevate their performance in the second half and they did. But moving forward, this game doesn't end our season or eliminate us from the conference tournament. If we lose today and are able to beat them in the conference or NCAA tournament, then that's a better win for us.”
With a solid mix of newcomers, who got their feet more than wet playing against the reigning PSAC champions along with a savvy group of veterans, the Golden Bears believe they will get stronger as the season moves forward. Kutztown's depth had been a major reason why it started the season with four straight victories for the first time since 2001.
Through the first four games of the season, Burstein had seemingly unleashed everybody, except Avalanche, against the competition as 11 different players have scored at least one goal. The effort on display Wednesday afternoon would beat many teams remaining on Kutztown's schedule.
Led by Maria Borland and Stephanie Borland, Kutztown applied consistent offensive pressure in each half. The Borland twins threw their bodies in front of bigger WCU defenders. Lauren Heisse was tremendous on defense. Lily Taylor and Megan Black seemed at ease during the match and not overwhelmed by the moment.
“We weren't able to get more players on the field during the game,” Burstein said. “Things changed after we went down by a goal and we had to adjust. Overall, we have a really good group of freshmen and some of them we have to ease into conference play especially at this high of a level. We've been very thrilled with the contributions of all of them. We have a great base and this was an opportunity for some of them to get some big game experience.”
Seniors Kelly Bushe, Jen Pyne and Chelsea Deeter are used to playing at a high level. Kutztown is looking to finish with double-digit victories for the eighth consecutive season. They have been superb in leading the young Golden Bears in the early part of the season. Bushe and Deeter along with Laura Hearn and Kelly Rozembersky were their usual terrific selves on defense.
“I think we're doing really well as a team so far this season,” Bushe said. “In the big scheme of things, we realize that this is just one game. Our goal is to qualify for the conference playoffs and go from there. We have a lot of returnees, who are better than they were last year, and the freshmen are doing a good job of acclimating themselves. They're winning balls, getting in there, mixing it up and taking responsibility. They're doing a good job, so it's nice to have that kind of depth.”
Kutztown controlled the first 15 minutes of the game, creating three corner kicks for themselves and a couple of close free kicks. West Chester turned the tables and forced the action for a while. The Golden Rams had the best opportunity to score in the first half when one of the shots hit the front of the post and bounced out of play.
The Golden Bears opened the second half with a direct kick from about 25 yards out in the 48th minute. Unfortunately, the Golden Bears couldn't control the bouncing ball in the box to get a quality chance. After WCU took the lead, the Borland sisters continued to create havoc and push the tempo.
In the middle of the field, Crystal Zerbe, Carolynne Kahl, and Shannon Pennock turned in solid performances as did Morgan Muracco, Julia DiFerdinando and Sam Moyer up front.
Kutztown returns to action Saturday afternoon when it hosts Millersville University at 2 p.m. at Keystone Field.
“We played with a lot of heart today and never gave up,” Muracco said. “We did everything coach asked of us and did it to the full extent. We just have to keep our heads up and get ready for our next game.”
--KU--
