KUTZTOWN, Pa. (November 13, 2011)—Seniors Laura Hearn (Wall, N.J./St. Rose), Carolynne Kahl (Bethel, PA/Tuplehocken), and Shannon Pennock (Mansfield, N.J./Northern Burlington) of the Kutztown University soccer team saw their careers in the maroon and gold come to an end after falling 2-1 to Slippery Rock University in the second round of the NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament on Sunday afternoon at Keystone Field. (BOXSCORE)

The Golden Bears (16-5 overall) closed the season ranked 15th in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Top 25 poll. Additionally, KU had a record setting season, as the 2011 team set the school record for wins in a season (16). Kutztown made its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and was the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) runner up.

The Rock (16-4-2 overall) advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen where they will face top-seeded California (Pa.). The win gives SRU its first ever berth in the Sweet Sixteen.

Sunday's game marked the third time that Kutztown and Slippery Rock faced each other this season. Kutztown won the first two matches, where its last victory over the Rock eliminated them for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament.

Kutztown got its only goal of the game with nine seconds remaining in the second half off a penalty kick from Kahl to cut SRU's lead 2-1. Unfortunately time wasn't on Kutztown's side as the final seconds of the game drifted in fate of the Rock.

SRU's Kara Mullins scored her 11th goal of the season when she put the Rock on the board with a goal in the 17th minute. Mullins' goal was assisted by Lucy Hannon.

The remainder of the first half was intense and featured a lot of close calls for both teams but Slippery Rock took the 1-0 lead into halftime.

Shelby Ward increased the Rock's advantage to 2-0 when she scored in the 68th minute off a pass from Mullins.

Just seconds later in the 69th minute, Kutztown had a chance to open its scoring drive when junior Maria Borland (Hagerstown, MD/Hagerstown) took hold of the ball in the backfield, pushing through defenders and making her way up the midfield to connect with Janine Valerio (Washington Township, NJ/Washington Township) for a goal. Valerio's shot looked dead on but it barely missed the crossbar as it soared behind the goal.

Kutztown outshot Slippery Rock 14-9. Kutztown continued to apply pressure but the Rock's defense-oriented plan of action wouldn't let up.

Samantha Costello had a game-high eight shots, with seven being shots-on-goal (SOG).The Golden Bears had 14 corner kicks during the game, but was never able to capitalize off them.

KU goalie Casey Behrendt (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) recorded five saves. SRU goalie tabbed eight saves.

“It wasn't our sharpest performance of the year which is disappointing because it's our most important game,” Kutztown University head coach Erik Burstein said. “The effort was good we just had some tactical errors but that's going to happen when you play a good team three times. We had a great year and you can't look at a season with just one game. “

Despite the loss, Kutztown's season was coated with many memories and will fuel its continued success for next season. Kutztown is losing only three seniors and hopes to return its youthful squad as a PSAC powerhouse next year.

“This has been a great season,” Pennock said. “The girls have really supported each other and you can't ask for more than that. If I could leave my teammates any advice for next season it's to stay positive, no matter what because tomorrow is a new day.”

Pennock, an education major plans to become a teacher after graduation. Hearn and Kahl are both Leisure and Sport Studies majors and plan to enter the sports industry after graduation. All three ladies have made a tremendous impact on the KU women's soccer program and their dedication and committment speaks volume to their character.

“It's hard when you graduate great players from your program,” Kutztown University head coach Erik Burstein said. “We're not just losing great players, we're losing great people. They have such great character and desire and they'll be missed.”