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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The weather conditions did not welcome back the Kutztown University women's soccer team with open arms, with wind and rain surrounding the field, but that did not prevent the No. 4 Golden Bears from returning to Keystone Field and coming away with a 3-0 victory over Shepherd University Saturday afternoon just as they did the last time they were on the field in the NCAA Tournament's Second Round last November.
 
The 2-0 record to open up the regular season is the program's best start since winning its first four games of the 2010 season. It is also the second straight shutout for KU. The defense has not allowed a goal in 182:55, dating back to the Final Four loss a year ago against Western Washington.
 
The KU offense was clicking on all cylinders, and spread the wealth around the field. Three different players found the back of the net, and each goal was also assisted by three separate players.
 
With the soggy conditions making for a fast playing service, the Golden Bears needed some time to get their feet under them.
 
They threatened early on, outshooting the Rams 8-1 in the first half, but just couldn't find the break through.
 
Then in the 26th minute, Chelsea Fadio (Audubon, N.J./Audubon) headed in a cross off a corner kick by Kate Martin (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) to break the deadlock.
 
That would be the only scoring of the first half.
 
The Maroon and Gold made sure to give themselves more of a cushion once the second half began. Just over six minutes in, freshman Randi Smith (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) gave KU a 2-0 advantage with her second goal of the season. Emily Zwiercan (Reinholds, Pa./Cocalico) came away with the assist.
 
A little under 12 minutes later, Alyssa Ryan (North Wales, Pa./Wissahickon) found Martin at the top of the 18-yard box. Martin took one touch and fired a shot that landed in the top corner of the net, which capped off a nice afternoon for the KU offense.

"Our first goal was a really gritty effort from Chelsea, exactly the type of attitude we need inside the box, and especially on set pieces," said head coach Erik Burstein. "The second and third goals were a result of our outside back, Erica, following our system. She played two excellent balls in and we got two very good goals from Randi and Kate, who was excellent on the afternoon."
 
They outshot Shepherd 11-3 over the course of the game.

"Overall we got the result we wanted, but our first half performance was a bit too casual for me," said Burstein. "After halftime we played with a bit more urgency and I was much happier with the results."
 
Kutztown's back line was solid once again. The starting defense of Kristina Miller (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn), Kaylee Kupiec (Deptford, N.J./Gloucester Catholic), Anna Hull (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) and Erica Monte Carlo (Sewell, N.J./Washington Township) gave the Rams minimal chances at their net.
 
Freshman McKenna Zerbe (Mountville, Pa./Hempfield), making her first collegiate start, came away with one save on the day.

"This is a very talented group, but we are still growing as a team," Burstein said. "Each game we are seeing larger glimpses of what we want, but we still have some work to do. We are all looking forward to starting the conference schedule and are very excited for the upcoming week."
 
23 different players saw the field as Burstein was able to use almost a full team in preparation for Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play beginning with their next game. Kutztown hosts Lock Haven on Wednesday, Sept. 6 with a 3:00 p.m. kickoff slated at Keystone Field.