KUTZTOWN, Pa. (September 20, 2011)—Sophomore Janine Valerio (Washington Township, NJ/Washington Township)'s tough on the field attitude and quaint personality has been the perfect combination for the Kutztown University soccer team. The Golden Bears defeated nationally-ranked Edinboro 2-0, in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) game, Tuesday afternoon at Keystone Field. (BOXSCORE)
KU improved to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the PSAC. Edinboro (5-2 overall, 3-2 PSAC) is ranked 24th in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) top 25 poll.
Valerio tallied her fourth goal of the season in the 42nd minute to give KU the solid 2-0 advantage before halftime. Her goal was assisted by Carolynne Kahl (Bethel, PA/Tuplehocken).
Valerio who is a transfer from Marshall University, has been making an impact in her first season with the Golden Bears.
“It feels great to be able to contribute to the team,” Valerio said. “The transition has been good and I love playing soccer with Kutztown. The team is so great and everyone wants to play hard and win.”
Valerio's potent Jersey girl personality emerges as soon as she steps on the field. An intense forward, she does her best to make results happen for KU. Whether it's making goals, getting the ball to an open teammate, or making plays, you can count on Valerio to do it.
“She's been great for us this season,” Kutztown University head coach Erik Burstein said. “We were disappointed when she didn't sign with us originally, but we are so glad to have her now.”
Junior Crystal Zerbe (Myerstown, PA/Tulpehocken) put Kutztown on the board when Tess Arbegast (Carlisle, PA/Big Spring) connected with her in the 38th minute, giving KU the 1-0 lead.
Zerbe has also been an impact for Kutztown this year. She has scored three goals in five games and has already shown tremendous growth this season.
"I am very happy for all the girls," Burstein said. "They were able to rebound from Saturday's loss and get the result they needed. However, the performance was not to the standard we have come to expect. We did an excellent job improving on the areas we struggled with against IUP, but we have to improve on our discipline when in positions to score goals. We have great potential, and excellent players, we just need more structure to the things we are doing...we will get there."
Kutztown recorded its third shutout of the season thanks to goalkeeper Casey Behrendt (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) and defenders Laura Hearn (Wall, N.J./St. Rose) and BrieAnn Shipkowski (Manheim, PA/Manheim Central). Behrendt recorded three saves.
The Golden Bears return back to action when it host Slippery Rock University, Saturday Sept. 24 at Keystone Field. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m.
