National Rankings (9-19-17) | Live Stats vs. WCU
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University field hockey team hosts the West Chester University Golden Rams this Wednesday, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m. at Andre Reed Stadium in a matchup of two of the top teams in Division II.
KU enters Wednesday ranked ninth in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) / Penn Monto National Poll, while West Chester dons a No. 3 ranking.
Kutztown heads into Wednesday with a 4-2 record in its first six games of the season, looking to recover from a narrow 2-1 loss against Indiana University (PA) this past Saturday.
Both
Trinity Ponton (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing Area) and
Kyra Wozniak (Plains, Pa./James M. Coughlin) lead the Golden Bears with a combined total of eight goals. Also contributing for Kutztown is
Mackenzie Fuhrman (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township), leading the team in assists with four.
Ponton is currently a freshman and appeared in her first collegiate game against Saint Thomas Aquinas, Sept. 2. During her first collegiate game, she scored two goals for the Golden Bears. She also scored the lone goal against IUP this past Saturday.
Wozniak is a returning sophomore for Kutztown. She has scored four goals this season, including one of the two KU goals against East Stroudsburg last week.
In goal for the Golden Bears has been
Chardonnay Hope (New Castle, Del./William Penn). Hope is a returning senior and has a save percentage of .750. So far in her last season as a Golden Bear, she has started every game and has recorded three shutouts. Hope is a two-year team captain and has been strong for KU in net.
West Chester is heading into the game with a 5-0 record. Last season, the Golden Rams lost in the second round of the PSAC tournament, falling to Shippensburg University.
The top scorer for the Rams is Rachal Toppi, leading West Chester with seven goals. Also adding to the scoring is Kaitlin Hatch, putting up five. Catie McNamara leads the team in assists with five.
In goal for West Chester is Marissa Elizardo. So far this season, she has a save percentage of .833 with one shutout and 15 saves.
The Golden Bears aim for their first win over West Chester since 2015. However, KU has won all three home games this season.
Following the game against West Chester, KU enters conference play beginning this Saturday, Sept. 23. Kutztown will take on Seton Hill University as part of Family Day. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at Andre Reed Stadium.
