KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown University women's lacrosse saw itself trailing 10-3 in the middle of the third quarter, but climbed back to within two goals at the start of the fourth. The comeback effort ran out of time, however, as KU was downed by Bloomsburg 13-10 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division action Wednesday afternoon at Keystone Field.
 
The Huskies (9-4 overall, 5-3 PSAC) scored the game's opening three goals and five of the first six to jump out to a 5-1 lead 1:03 into the second quarter. Bloomsburg finished the quarter netting three of the next four to go into halftime on top 8-2.
 
Kutztown tallied the opening goal of the third quarter off the stick of Kayla Brooks (Mountville, Pa./Hempfield), 2:08 in, but the Huskies connected on back-to-back goals to take their largest lead of the game of seven, at 10-3, with 8:25 left in the frame.
 
But that's when the Golden Bears (4-8, 1-6) caught fire. Four different goal scorers highlighted a 4-0 run by KU, including goals from Lailah ElBouazzaoui (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan), Emma Meakim (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland), Sam Graf (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) and Morgan Hurd (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) in an 8:37 spurt spanning the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter, to cut the deficit to 10-7. Bloomsburg answered with a goal to go back up by four with 12:35 remaining, but Graf and ElBouazzaoui recorded back-to-back tallies to bring Kutztown to within two at 11-9, the closest it was since the 4:11 mark of the opening quarter.
 
The Huskies, though, won the next two draw controls and found the back of the net twice within a 0:30 span to extend their advantage to 13-9 with 9:08 to go. A couple of turnovers by both sides and the Huskies were able to keep the majority of the possession and run out the clock for the victory.
 
Graf led the Maroon and Gold offense with four goals and won two draw controls. Hurd and ElBouazzaoui contributed two goals and Meakim and Brooks rounded out the scoring with a goal each. Meakim and Robin Spector (Northfield, N.J./Mainland Regional) led KU with four ground balls and Meakim and Cyrose Conteh (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) won three draw controls each. Jenna Blesson (Sparta, N.J./Lenape Valley Regional) finished with nine saves and Fiona Henderson (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) stopped four shots in relief.
 
Kutztown will look to snap its five-game losing streak and amass some revenge when it takes on Millersville in a PSAC East matchup this Saturday, April 16, at 1 p.m., from Keystone Field for alumni day.

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