Championship Central
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The nationally-ranked Kutztown University women's soccer team is the No. 1 overall seed in the Atlantic Regional of the upcoming NCAA Tournament. KU has a bye in the first round and will host a second-round game against the first-round winner this Sunday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m., at Keystone Field.
Information including tickets, parking and live coverage for the first two rounds at Kutztown this weekend can be found via the link above.
No. 4 Charleston (W. Va.) will play No. 5 West Chester on Friday, Nov. 19, at 1 p.m. from Keystone Field. The winner will play the Golden Bears (17-1-1 overall) for a berth in the Sweet 16 and Atlantic Regional championship, most likely on Thursday, Dec. 2. The winner of the Atlantic Regional will then play the winner of the East Regional in the quarterfinals, at the same site of the third round. KU could host both of those rounds as well if it wins all of its games in front of it.
Kutztown has earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament in nine of the last 12 years, including a three-year stretch from 2016-18, and for the 10th time overall.
KU has seen both the Golden Eagles (15-5) and the Golden Rams (11-4-2) this season. In the season opener on Sept. 3, senior
Brittany Arentz (Mount Wolf, Pa./Northeastern) scored the game-winner on a pass by classmate
Kayla Argen (Cresco, Pa./Pocono Mountain East) in double overtime to stun Charleston. In two Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference matches against West Chester this season, the Golden Bears and Golden Rams split, each winning on the other's home fields in one-goal games. On Oct. 9, Argen netted the game's opening goal in the sixth minute, but West Chester scored two, second-half goals to win. In the regular season finale on Nov. 6,
Joslyn Stoltz (Levittown, Pa./Calvary Christian Academy) found the back of the net in the 58th minute to break a deadlock and give KU the 1-0 victory.
Neither of the three teams on this side of the bracket were satisfied with how their respective conference tournaments went. Kutztown and West Chester both lost in the quarterfinal round to Millersville and Bloomsburg respectively, and Charleston was eliminated in the semifinals of the Mountain East Conference by falling to Frostburg State.
The 17 regular season wins for the PSAC East Division champion Golden Bears is the second-most in program history. KU ranks near the top of the conference in both scoring (tied for second with 37 goals) and defense (second with 11 goals allowed). The 11 goals against is also second-fewest in program history.
Kutztown lost in the first round in both 2017 and 2018 and is looking for its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2016, when it advanced to the Final Four.
On the other side of the Atlantic Regional bracket, second-seeded Concord hosts a four-team pod. The Mountain Lions will face the seventh seed Mercyhurst in one First Round game, while third-seeded and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champion Bloomsburg will play the sixth seed Gannon in the other First Round game.
