KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- Junior defender
Bridget Curtis (Warrington, Pa./Central Bucks South) did it all Tuesday afternoon, netting her fourth goal of the season as the 12th-ranked Kutztown University women's soccer team (13-0-5, 12-0-4 PSAC East) defeated East Stroudsburg (10-4-3, 8-4-3 PSAC East) 1-0 at Keystone Field. The win secured the first-ever unbeaten regular season in program history.
Similar to the first game of the season, it was a tightly contested battle between the two PSAC East foes. In the 73rd minute, the Golden Bears earned their sixth and final corner kick of the match. Katelyn Economopoulos (Grantville, Pa./Lower Dauphin) lofted a ball into the box that floated over the Warriors' keeper and found Curtis wide open on the back post to slot it home for the win. It's the Warrington native's third game-winning goal of the campaign.
Curtis also put in a great shift on the defensive end, alongside her center back partner Skyler Jordan (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth). The Golden Bears outshot the Warriors 8-6 in the game, with the shots on goal being even at three each. Emme Wolfel (Pottstown, Pa./Pottstown) got the start in goal and made three saves for KU, while Emmy Clarkson made one save for ESU.
Offensively, Sydney Cole (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) had a shot on goal for KU, which was blocked by an ESU defender in the 78th minute. Economopoulos had two shots to go along with her fourth assist of the season. Jordan, Caroline McDonald (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East), and Allie Tierney (Galloway, N.J./Absegami) all had one shot each. Millie Smith led the way with two shots for the Warriors.
The win wraps up a perfect regular season for the Golden Bears, which saw KU capture the PSAC East Regular Season Championship along with the first unbeaten regular season in history. The 17-game unbeaten streak this season is the longest unbeaten streak in program history, smashing the previous record of 13 set back in 2017. The Golden Bears are also up to 11 shutouts on the season, which is tied for the fifth-most in a season in program history. The 2023 squad and some of the players still have the chance to break multiple records in what has been a superb regular season.
The attention now turns to the postseason. The PSAC Tournament will run through Keystone Field, starting with the quarterfinals on Monday, Nov. 6. The Golden Bears will most likely match up against Bloomsburg at a time yet to be determined.
KU's spot in the NCAA Tournament picture will start to become clearer tomorrow, Nov. 1, when the first edition of the NCAA Regional Rankings will be released.
