KUTZTOWN, Pa. (October 7, 2011)—The Kutztown University women's soccer team survived a chilling 1-0 overtime victory against Shippensburg University in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) contest on Friday afternoon at Keystone Field. (BOXSCORE)

The Golden Bears (9-2 overall, 7-1 PSAC) entered the contest ranked 16th in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Top 25 poll. The Red Raiders fell to 4-5-3 overall and 2-4-2 in the PSAC.

Despite its record, Shippensburg put up a fight in the nail-biter. Senior Carolynne Kahl (Bethel, PA/Tuplehocken) scored the game-winning goal, two minutes into overtime. Kahl scored off a penalty kick after junior Stephanie Borland (Hagerstown, MD/Hagerstown) was fouled in the box.

“Throughout the game we had a lot of chances to score but we weren't finishing,” Kahl said. “We knew that we need to win and Borland got it done for us.”

KU outshot SU 19-5 with a few chances to get on the board. Defensively for the Golden Bears, senior Laura Hearn (Wall, N.J./St. Rose) and BrieAnn Shipkowski (Manheim, PA/Manheim Central) did a great job keeping Shippensburg's offense silenced. Goalie Casey Behrendt (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) finished with four saves. The defensive unit for KU has recorded seven shutouts this season.

“It was intense guarding the back line today,” Hearn said. “Ship was definitely giving a lot of effort and they're a good team. I was doing everything I could to make sure that the ball wasn't going in.”

“We didn't know what to expect with our back line this season,” Kutztown University head coach Erik Burstein said. “To say that we are extremely pleased with them is a complete understatement. The back line is solid and they've been wonderful for us all year.”

Shippensburg goalie Shelbie Rackley snagged 13 saves.

The Golden Bears will return back to Keystone Field when it hosts No.3 California (Pa.) on Saturday, Oct. 8 beginning at 2 p.m.

Kutztown fell to Cal in the PSAC semifinal game last season. Saturday's game will also feature Senior Day, which will honor the careers of Shannon Pennock (Mansfield, N.J./Northern Burlington), Kahl, and Hearn.

“It's great that we are playing Cal for Senior Day,” Pennock said. “That means that we are going to be pumped up. Everyone is going to be playing to a higher standard because it's a huge game for the team and for us as seniors…this is the best time to play them.”