SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Strong defense and goalkeeping kept the Kutztown University field hockey team within striking distance of third-ranked Shippensburg University up until the final whistle on Wednesday afternoon. KU gave itself an opportunity to tie the game in the final minute, but will have to settle with a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Red Raiders.
 
The growth of the Golden Bears (6-7, 4-5 PSAC) was on display against one of the best teams in the country and the reigning National Champions. Shippensburg (11-2, 8-2) pulled out all the stops with a 27-4 shots advantage, but Kutztown did not give in. It defensed Shippensburg's 15 penalty corners extremely well and allowed just one goal off corners.
 
Kutztown played with a never-give-up mentality. In the final minute, KU fought deep into Shippensburg territory and earned its lone penalty corner of the night as time expired. KU was awarded one un-timed opportunity at goal off the corner and got a great look at the cage, but the shot could not be fired before the threat was neutralized and the final whistle blew.
 
This is not the first time this season that Kutztown has hung with one of the top-ranked teams in Division II. It opened conference-play with an upset over then-sixth-ranked Bloomsburg on the road on Sept. 9, and also limited then-fifth-ranked Limestone to one goal at home on Oct. 10.
 
Goalkeeper Rachael Sanders (Fayetteville, Pa./Chambersburg (Limestone)) did everything she could to keep Kutztown in the game. Of the 27 shots Shippensburg rattled off, she made 11 saves. The defense in front of her allowed just seven shots in the first half, but the 20 second-half shots were simply too much to withstand.
 
Junior Anna Behm (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) gave the Golden Bears life in the 26th minute after she tied the game at 1-1 to answer Shippensburg's goal in the opening 10 minutes. Analyse Gaspich (Palmyra, Pa./Lower Dauphin) found Behm with a pass through traffic in front of goal as Behm finished it off for her team-leading and career-high 13th goal of the year.
 
Kutztown never gave up in the second half, but the pressure on the Red Raiders could not hold on forever, as a sudden slip allowed a tipped-in pass to go past Sanders in the cage in the 46th minute for the eventual game-winner.
 
With the setback, Kutztown falls to 4-5 and seventh in the conference. It still has five games to play in the regular season, but it will need to gain ground as soon as possible to get back in the top six and eligible for a playoff spot.
 
Next up for KU is Mansfield University on Saturday, Oct. 25. It marks Senior Day for the Golden Bears as action start at 3 p.m. from University Field at Andre Reed Stadium.