ALBANY, N.Y. -- The Kutztown University women's soccer team fell in the Atlantic region final to West Chester 1-0 in cold and windy conditions at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y. Friday afternoon.
The Golden Bears, who beat the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the region to get to the Sweet 16, pushed the No. 2 team in the country to the brink on Friday afternoon, but an 89th-minute free-kick goal for the Golden Rams proved to be the difference in the contest.
Despite being outshot in the contest 16-4, 8-2 shots on goal, KU defended with grit the whole game while generating some great offensive sequences throughout the contest. The big storyline for the Golden Bears was in goal when Emme Wolfel (Pottstown, Pa./Pottstown) left the game with an injury, forcing Cassandra Baker (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) into action. Despite only playing 21 minutes in 2022, the junior from Harrisburg didn't miss a beat, making four critical saves in the game. Wolfel also made three crucial saves in her 37 minutes of action.
Offensively, Lexy Endres (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) was at the heart of everything for KU, registering the only two shots KU had on goal in the game. Graduate midfielder Kayla Argen (Cresco, Pa./Pocono Mountain East) had arguably KU's best chance of the contest, putting a shot over the bar in the 73rd minute.
The Golden Rams jumped on the Golden Bears early, controlling the possession in the early stages. A shot from Kaitlynn Haughey in the 15th minute forced a great diving save from Wolfel to keep the game scoreless. After Wolfel went down with an injury, Baker was called into action almost immediately when she denied an own goal off a deflection with a great reflex save in the 44th minute.
KU's offensive adjustments came together as the second half began, with the Golden Bears looking more likely team to score. The backline anchored by Kylee MacLeod (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) and Becca Delp (Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove) played an excellent game. Even as West Chester grew more into the game, KU was there to snuff out almost every offensive chance the Golden Rams could produce.
West Chester's first chance to open the scoring in the second half came in the 81st minute. Julia Raybold rifled a shot bound for the lower left-hand corner, but Baker made a great diving stop. Raybold had another great chance two minutes later, but Baker made another great save, this time denying a shot in the upper left-hand corner.
West Chester's breakthrough came right as regulation was about to expire. Kiley Kergides buried a free kick from about 25 yards out to give the Golden Rams the lead with one minute to go. That would be the last action of the contest as WCU won the game 1-0.
KU ends the season with an 11-6-4 record. Even after a regular season where an NCAA Tournament bid seemed up in the air at times, the Golden Bears proved the doubters wrong, making the Sweet 16 for only the second time in program history. KU won at least 10 games for the 20th straight season and will look towards another exciting year at Keystone Field in 2023.
