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WEST CHESTER, Pa. – The 18th-ranked Kutztown University women's soccer team found itself down 2-0 for the first 42 minutes, but scratched and clawed its way to complete a 3-2 comeback victory against fourth-ranked West Chester University at WCU's Rockwell Field to win its first-ever Atlantic Regional Title and advance to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.
Kutztown scored all three of its goals within a 15-minute window spanning from the first to second half.
The 59th minute proved to be the deciding moment of the game. Freshman
Kate Martin (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) found fellow freshman
Kristina Miller (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) in the middle of the box off a corner kick, as a Miller deflection gave the Golden Bears a 3-2 lead. It was Miller's first goal of her career, and what a time for it to come.
This comeback is the first time Kutztown erased a two-goal deficit in the last 15 years, and the first under head coach
Erik Burstein.
With Kutztown's Elite Eight berth, the Golden Bears will return back to West Chester on Sunday, Nov. 20, at 12 p.m. to face the winner of Friday's East Regional Final between Adelphi University and the University of Bridgeport.
West Chester was handed its first loss of the season Friday, having only fell in penalty kicks to East Stroudsburg in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference semi-finals.
Things looked grim for the Golden Bears early on, as West Chester controlled much of the pace and possession to get things rolling. West Chester needed only 17 minutes to get on the board first, as Scarlett Walsh headed in a goal to give the Golden Rams a 1-0 lead.
Soon thereafter, West Chester extended the lead to 2-0 with a goal off a strike from Haley Mangiaruga. It seemed as if the Golden Rams had every ounce of momentum.
However, Kutztown went on to find its first sign of life from freshman
Emily Zwiercan (Reinholds, Pa./Cocalico), who went coast-to-coast with a 60-yard run and slid the ball right under the diving torso of West Chester goalie Alex Srolis.
This would prove to be exactly what Kutztown needed going into the half, as it took only six minutes of the second half for the Golden Bears to notch the equalizer. The goal was scored by freshman
Maddie Mohr (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown Area), her team-leading 11th of the season.
With the game all tied up, it was clear that the momentum had completely switched to Kutztown. The Golden Bears kept the ball out of their own territory for a large portion of the second half and were consistently threatening inside of West Chester's box.
To say that the final 31 minutes was intense would be an understatement. West Chester had multiple opportunities to find their own equalizer but were unable to convert.
Notably, West Chester had the ball in Kutztown's territory in the final minute. West Chester desperately attempted to get a last-second corner attempt, but the clock struck zero and the Maroon and Gold were crowned champions.
As the final horn sounded, a stormed field of Golden Bears greeted their players for a hard-fought victory and a job well done. After the dust settled and both teams exchanged high-fives, Kutztown was presented its trophy at midfield.
