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LANCASTER, Pa. – The fourth-ranked and fifth-seeded Kutztown University field hockey team faces top-ranked and the No. 1 seed West Chester University in an NCAA semifinal round game Friday, Nov. 22, at 2 p.m. at Millersville University's Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium.
 
It is the rubber match between the Golden Bears (15-6 overall) and the Golden Rams (18-1), as the two teams split their two contests during 2019. West Chester held on to defeat KU 3-2 on Oct. 30, while the Maroon and Gold returned the favor with a 3-2 win in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) semifinal on Nov. 8, on the Golden Rams' home turf to give them their lone setback of the year.
 
Kutztown qualified for its first Division II national semifinal since 1982. KU played in the NCAA championship game in 1997 and has never won a national championship.
 
The Golden Bears enter off a penalty shootout victory (3-1) over fifth-ranked and fourth-seeded Southern New Hampshire on the road last Saturday, Nov. 16, when Alyssa Donato (Cedarville, N.J./Cumberland Regional) sent home the winner. They won just their second NCAA postseason game in program history, first since 1988. They have also won 15 games thus far, the most by a KU team in a single-season since 2007. It was the second shootout victory of the season for Kutztown, the first coming at home against No. 3 Millersville on Oct. 17. It was also the seventh win for KU over a ranked opponent in 2019, and the third win in a different state this year, as KU earned victories in the states of Pennsylvania, Vermont and New Hampshire.
 
Senior goalie Kerri Hanshaw (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley), who took home national recognition this week being named NFHCA Defensive Player of the Week, stopped three-of-four Penmen attempts, and finished the game with six saves for the shutout victory. Hanshaw, along with defenders Hadley Wiktor (Danville, Pa./Danville), Leigh Roselli (Romansville, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) and Juliana Borisow (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) have been playing some of their best field hockey at the end of the year. In the month of November (five games), they have allowed just three goals.
 
The Golden Bears attack is well-balanced, and a number of different players can lead the team in scoring each game. KU is led by senior All-PSAC Second Teamer Kyra Wozniak (Plains, Pa./James M. Coughlin), who is tied for the team-lead with 10 goals and also has three assists for 23 points. Donato, a Third-Teamer, also has 10 goals on the year. Senior PSAC First Teamer Mackenzie Fuhrman (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) has been an all-around performer, scoring six goals and adding eight assists, while stepping up as one of KU's better defenders. PSAC Second Teamers in the junior Roselli (four goals, six assists) and sophomore Rachel Dusman (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg) (six goals, two assists) each have recorded 14 points this season.
 
Sophomore Izzy Radel (Harveys Lake, Pa./Lake-Lehman) has tallied double-digit points in 2019, contributing four goals and two assists for 10 points. Senior captain Molly Bobjak (New Castle, Del./Padua Academy) has a career-high seven assists, and senior Rose Moore (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville) has tied a career-high with three goals.
 
West Chester has not played since its PSAC semifinal loss to KU on Nov. 8. Before that day, WCU had won 18 straight games to open up the year. The Golden Rams are led by PSAC Athlete of the Year Katie Thompson, who has 21 goals and a league-best 16 assists. Caitie McNamara claimed the Defensive Athlete of the Year for a WCU defense that has allowed just 12 goals all season, five of which were scored by KU. Goalie Claire Nielsen was voted Freshman of the Year and has accumulated 10 shutouts this season.
 
The winner will meet the victor of the other national semifinal game between second-seeded Saint Anselm and third-seeded East Stroudsburg on Sunday, Nov. 24, at 1 p.m., back at Biemesderfer Stadium.
 
Tickets for Friday's matchup between Kutztown and West Chester is $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. Admission for children 12 and under will be $2. Group rates of $2 per person are available for groups of 10 or more. Cash and credit cards will be accepted at the gate on Friday. There will be no charge for parking around Biemesderfer Stadium. Fans can access the NCAA Field Hockey Championship Digital Program by clicking here.
 
A video link is made available up top or on www.kubears.com. A live stats link will be posted as soon as it's made available. NCAA Championship Central, the Division II championship bracket and an NCAA digital program is also available via the links above.