VIDEO: Game Highlights & Post-Game Interviews (Hope & Scheuing)
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Two-goal games by junior Madison Wampler (York, Pa./West York Area) and freshman Mackenzie Fuhrman (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) highlighted the Kutztown University field hockey's seven-goal outburst as the Golden Bears began their season 2-0 for the second year in a row with a 7-1 triumph over Assumption on Labor Day afternoon at Andre Reed Stadium on Monday.
The seven goals were tied for the most by Kutztown (2-0) in a single game since Oct. 10 of last season, having previously gone nearly five years without scoring seven in a contest. Also of note, the six-goal margin of victory was KU's highest since last year's season-opener, as the Golden Bears were able to play all available field players and two of their three goalies.
Wampler's multi-goal effort, which occurred in the span of 43 seconds toward the end of the first half to give Kutztown a commanding 4-0 lead heading into the break, was the fourth of her career, while the two scores by Fuhrman were her first two as a Golden Bear.
Juniors Courtney Konowal (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth-Whitemarsh) and Morgan Aldinger (Pennsburg, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) added two of the other goals, with freshman Gabby Hess (Mount Joy, Pa./Donegal) also scoring the first goal of her collegiate career.
Junior Chardonnay Hope (New Castle, Del./William Penn) followed her first career shutout with seven more saves, narrowly missing out on back-to-back blankings if not for an Assumption goal with just under 15 minutes to play. She gave way to M'kensie Lee (Plains, Pa./James M. Coughlin) for the final 3:42 as the freshman did not face any pressure in her first appearance in a Golden Bear uniform.
Although goalies from both teams were each forced to make seven saves, Kutztown held a commanding advantage in both shots, 23-13, and penalty corners, 13-5, as the Golden Bears dominated possession throughout much of the contest. Despite this, KU could not turn that into pressure on net in the first 13 minutes aside from a Konowal short-range shot that was saved just under four minutes in.
With much of the next nine minutes played on the Kutztown side of the field, the Golden Bears finally turned the dominance into the opening goal when Madison Stewart (New Castle, Del./William Penn), who had a game-high eight shots, had her initial attempt form the top of the circle blocked. The ball ricocheted to Konowal right in the middle of the circle, and the junior took advantage of the gratuitous bounce by keeping her composure and unleashing her effort into the right side of the net to put KU on top with her first goal of the young season at the 12:55 mark.
An Assumption (0-1) timeout following that score momentarily seemed to give the Greyhounds some confidence back as they answered with their first significant pressure of the contest. Lyndsey Gabrielian tested Hope for the first time in the afternoon just 30 seconds following the goal and less than one minute later Hope was forced to make yet another stop, this time on Andrea Koslowski.
AC earned its first penalty corner following that flurry and that led to yet another attack on the Kutztown net. Again it was Hope coming up big with a save to protect the lead, this time on Amanda Frank, before Lyndsey Gabrielian sent an attempt just wide.
Hope's only three saves of the first half seemed to give KU a spark as Assumption had just one more shot attempt in the next 27 minutes of game play. Keeping constant pressure on the Greyhounds side of the field, the Golden Bears had three efforts blocked and one more saved before finally doubling their lead with 8:41 remaining. Stemming from a fourth penalty corner of the half, Fuhrman had an initial shot from the left edge of the circle blocked only to control her own rebound. From there, she drove in on net and wrapped her shot around the goalie for her first score of the year.
It took exactly three minutes for Kutztown to make it 4-0 behind Wampler's successive goals. The first came 2:17 after Fuhrman's when Micaela Beaty (Drexel Hill, Pa./Archbishop Prendergast) sent a low cross in from the right sideline. Stewart got her stick on it to send it towards the left post, where Wampler battled with a defender to just get the final touch on it.
The second score was a moment of individual brilliance as Wampler stole the ball from the defender just outside the top of the circle, dribbled in and unleashed an absolute missile into the top corner of the net for the commanding 4-0 advantage just 5:41 ahead of the break.
Megan Tiwold (Northampton, Pa./Northampton)'s saved shot less than five minutes out of the half gave Aldinger her point-blank score. Tiwold's shot was kicked aside by the Assumption goalie only to find Aldinger all alone in front of net to continue KU's dominance.
Andrea Koslowski did spoil what could have been back-to-back shutouts for the Kutztown defense with just under 15 minutes left to play, but the Golden Bears responded with the final two goals of the afternoon. First it was Hess knocking home a Julia Snyder (Red Lion, Pa./Dallastown Area) saved shot with 8:43 showing before Fuhrman capped the offensive explosion just 1:21 later when Jessica Strohecker (Landisburg, Pa./West Perry) sent in a corner and the freshman blasted her ensuing effort into the lower left corner.
KU will look to start 3-0 for the first time since 2013 when the Golden Bears wrap up their three-game homestand on Saturday, Sept. 10, hosting Slippery Rock University at noon in non-conference action.
