WEST CHESTER, Pa. (November 1, 2011)—Freshman Taylor Higgins (Leola, Pa./Conestoga Valley) of the Kutztown University women's soccer team scored the game-winning goal to help KU defeat Gannon University 2-1, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) quarterfinal match, Tuesday afternoon at West Chester University's John A. Farrell Stadium. (BOXSCORE)

The Golden Bears (15-4 overall) will advance to the semifinals against Slippery Rock University (14-3-2 overall). The Rock defeated two-time defending champion West Chester University, 1-0 Tuesday afternoon at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.

SRU and KU will meet in the PSAC semifinals Friday, either at California or at Kutztown. If California defeats Bloomsburg Tuesday night (6 p.m. start), the semifinals and finals will be played at California.

Kutztown is ranked 17th in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Top 25 poll. The Rock is ranked 22nd in the NSCAA poll.

With this win, the Golden Bears tied the school record for wins (15) in a season. The last time KU won 15 matches was back in 2009.

Higgins couldn't have scored her first career goal at a better time. Her persistence and patience finally paid off in the 77th minute when she scored off a breakaway and dodged two Gannon defenders to give Kutztown the 2-0 advantage. Higgins' goal was assisted by Bella Jaffin (Nescopeck, PA/Berwick Area).

“It felt great scoring that goal,” Higgins said. “It was my only shot of the game, so I'm glad that I had the opportunity to take advantage of it. It's great to move on to the semifinals and we just have to play our next game like it's our last.”

“Taylor was fantastic,” Kutztown University head coach Erik Burstein said. “She made a great run today and had a well-deserved goal.”

Senior Carolynne Kahl (Bethel, PA/Tuplehocken), who has proven to be a game-changer for the Golden Bears, scored the game's first goal just 35 seconds before Higgins' scored. Kahl gave Kutztown the 1-0 lead in the 77th minute off a corner kick from defender BrieAnn Shipkowski (Manheim, PA/Manheim Central).

Gannon, who presented a tough challenge for the Golden Bears found its way to the net in the 87th minute when Katie Urban scored to slice KU's lead to 2-1.

Kutztown had several opportunities to score in the first half, but Gannon's pressure was tenacious and kept KU scoreless in the first half.

Goalie Casey Behrendt (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) recorded six saves against Gannon. Maggie Brinkman finished with three saves against KU.

The Golden Bears defeated The Rock 1-0 on Sept.24, where Kahl scored in the 88th minute to seize the win in the final minutes of the game. With both teams wanting to keep their postseason dreams alive, the road will only continue to get harder.

“It's going to be tough,” Burstein said. “Slippery Rock is very organized. They're good defensively and they have some dangerous players up front. We'll enjoy the win today and think about how we're going to approach the next game to be as effective as possible.”