PSAC Championship Central

MANSFIELD, Pa. – Kutztown University women's soccer captains Sam Costello (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) and Diana Malanga (Lavallette, N.J./St. Rose) stepped up on Saturday when their team needed a win not only for playoff positioning, but for mental confidence entering the postseason. On the heels of a mid-week setback, the 18th-ranked Golden Bears answered with a 5-1 victory over Mansfield University on Saturday.
 
Costello netted two of Kutztown's first three goals of the match to set a career-high with nine goals this season. She took sole possession of fifth place in school history with 23 career goals. She will need three more to tie Erin Kirstein (1995-98) for fourth in program history. Costello has 66 career points and is two points away from moving into a tie fourth.
 
Costello's first goal was assisted by Malanga, who scored the game's first goal in the 31st minute for her sixth of the season. Taylor Burt (Robesonia, Pa./Conrad Weiser) and Megan Frailer (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) also scored goals for the Maroon and Gold.
 
Freshman goalkeeper Deanna Messner (Willow Grove, Pa./Archbishop Wood) recorded 76 scoreless minutes in net before giving way to senior Jess Campbell (Leola, Pa./Conestoga Valley). Messner finished with three saves and lowered her goals-against-average to 0.71, good for second in KU single-season history. She also moved into a tie for third in single-season wins with 13.
 
The win improved KU's record to 13-4, 12-4 in the PSAC, and secured Kutztown's No. 3 seed in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament. It will face the sixth-seeded Fighting Scots of Edinboro University at Keystone Field on Tuesday, Nov. 4 beginning at 1 p.m.
 
The game will be broadcasted live on KUTV, which is Service Electric Channel 24, Hometown Utilicom Channel 28 in Kutztown and eastern Berks County, and Service Electric Channel 266 in the Lehigh Valley. Adam Dobrowolski has the call for KUTV.
 
Tickets for Tuesday's quarterfinal game are $7 for adults and $2 for students. All PSAC students will be admitted into the game for free with a valid school ID. Pets will not be allowed at Keystone Field and will need to be kept off the premises.
 
The teams met last week at Keystone Field, when Edinboro scored two goals in the final 12 minutes in a 2-1 win over Kutztown. KU is 6-9-1 all-time vs. Edinboro.