KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Playing its first three games of the 2019 season in two different states, the seventh-ranked Kutztown University field hockey team was finally able to enjoy the comforts of home. KU shutout Slippery Rock 3-0 Friday afternoon at Andre Reed Stadium in non-conference action, its third win in-a-row and third in a matter of six days.
 
The Golden Bears (3-1 overall) opened the season in Adelphi, New York, and then played twice in Colchester, Vermont, last weekend. The similar venue in Kutztown was a welcoming sight.
 
"It was a great win today," said senior Mackenzie Fuhrman (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township). "It was our first home game so it felt great to be back and get a win. We scored three times and got the shutout, so it was a good start to the home slate. This really got us back into the swing of things. It's good to be back; we love our turf. We play great here; we play Kutztown field hockey."
 
Fuhrman got the scoring going with her second goal of the season 13:19 into regulation. The Lancaster native also assisted on KU's second goal, a pass to Kyra Wozniak (Plains, Pa./James M. Coughlin) standing in front of the cage, turned and fired home. Wozniak then delivered an assist of her own on the third and final goal by Izzy Radel (Harveys Lake, Pa./Lake-Lehman). Leigh Roselli (Romansville, Pa./Bishop Shanahan), who had a field day taking penalty corners, contributed an assist on Fuhrman's opening tally, via a corner.
 
Kutztown pressured the Rock's (1-2) cage all day, and never was really threatened on the other end of the field as sophomore goalie Katie Dotterweich (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) was not forced into action, and the defense in front of her, featuring Hadley Wiktor (Danville, Pa./Danville), Hannah Shirk (Hamburg, Pa./Hamburg) and Roselli only allowed one total shot by Slippery Rock. The Rock only found themselves inside KU's circle three times all game long. It was Kutztown's third straight clean sheet, and the defense ranks fourth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in goals allowed with two given through the first four games.
 
While the defense helped to create a quiet day for Dotterweich, Wozniak and the Maroon and Gold attack were relentless in their pursuit on cage. Kutztown leads the conference in scoring with 18 goals and a scoring average of 4.5 goals per game. Wozniak sits atop of the PSAC with six goals and 15 points. Her and Fuhrman are tied for second with three assists each.
 
Kutztown outshot Slippery Rock 15-1 on the day, 9-0 on cage. It also held a 10-2 advantage in penalty corners. Sophomore Rachel Dusman (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg), playing in her first game of the year after battling back from a preseason injury, was tied for the team-lead with four shots. Alyssa Donato (Cedarville, N.J./Cumberland Regional) had three shots, and Fuhrman and Radel both recorded two shots.
 
Kutztown will be back out on the Andre Reed Stadium turf in less than 24 hours with a game against No. 1 Shippensburg, Saturday at noon. KU has defeated a top-ranked team in each of the last two seasons.