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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Although the 6-1 playoff defeat isn't exactly the outcome the nationally-ranked Kutztown University field hockey team had hoped for, it isn't what the Golden Bears will remember from Tuesday night's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Quarterfinal: it will be the hard work put in through a long season, the tremendous support they received from the largest home crowd in the last decade, and the small moments that made up one of the greatest stories in the country in 2015.
 
Kutztown undoubtedly ran into one of the top teams in Division II on Tuesday night. West Chester was strong in the midfield, controlled possession and made the most of its many chances in the circle.
 
While the Golden Rams (16-3) move on to the conference semifinals, Kutztown gets to reminisce about its first playoff game in six years. Students and the KU community showed up in strong force for the programs first-ever playoff game at University Field, as an attendance of 563 marked the most at home in a decade for KU field hockey.
 
The large turnout had its chance to make itself heard early on. After West Chester took the 1-0 lead in the fourth minute, the Golden Bears scored on their first shot attempt in the 23rd minute. Coming off a corner, seniors Rayann Fink (Fleetwood, Pa./Fleetwood) and Anna Behm (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) connected with Courtney Ueberroth (Stevens, Pa./Cocalico) in front of the cage to tie the game. The thunderous ovation from the stands lifted Ueberroth into a soaring celebration, a moment KU will surely remember the sight of.
 
Defensively, Fink recorded her first three-defensive save game of her career and her second multi-save game of the season. Fink's nine defensive saves this season mark a career-high, the fifth-most in KU single-season history and increases her career total to a school-record-tying 23.
 
Notably, Fink recorded a defensive save in four of her last five games to finish the year with nine. Entering Tuesday, the Division II lead this season was eight.
 
Behm, a fellow senior, posted one of the best seasons in the PSAC this season. She scored a career-high 22 goals, second-most in KU single-season history, and dished out nine assists to rank in the top-two in Division II in goals and points-per-game. She has started in all 66 of her games over the last four years, and her 56 career goals and 129 points both rank third all-time in program history.
 
Senior goalkeeper Kayla Denlinger (Manheim, Pa./Hempfield) tallied 15 saves Tuesday, the second-most of her career. She stands with a career 2.26 goals-against-average, eighth-best in school history.
 
Kutztown's remaining two seniors, Madeline Dworak (Dupont, Pa./Pittston Area) and Marissa Greiner (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield), also saw the field Tuesday for possibly the final times of their career.
 
As a team, Kutztown has increased its win total in each of the last three seasons under third-year head coach Marci Scheuing. It has heightened the expectations of its program from competing for a playoff spot in the final week of last season, to competing for a PSAC regular season title in the final week of this season.
 
While it might be a step away from the top echelon of Division II right now, the path has been set for Kutztown field hockey to continue to charge toward a championship tradition.
 
KU's final fate will be determined by the NCAA selection committee for the national tournament. The NCAA Selection Show will air on Monday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. on www.NCAA.com.