SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Sam Graf (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) provided six points, 12 draw controls and eight ground balls, and the Kutztown University women's lacrosse team outscored Shippensburg 10-0 in the second half to cruise past the Raiders, 14-3, in a PSAC East game at the Robb Sports Complex Tuesday afternoon.
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After a nearly even opening 30 minutes, the visiting Golden Bears exploded for six goals in the third quarter, bewildering Shippensburg in the process. Graf,
Lailah ElBouazzaoui (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) and
Shannon Lake (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue-Medford) each netted a pair of goals in the quarter.
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The goals didn't stop coming for KU (5-0, 2-0 PSAC East) in the fourth. Graf and Lake found the back of the net again, along with
Emma Meakim (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) and
Katie Yocum (Hanover, Pa./South Western).
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Graf and Lake paced the Maroon and Gold with four goals apiece. Meakim, named PSAC East Athlete of the Week for the first time in her career earlier Tuesday, had a goal and team-leading three assists.
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Graf accounted for all but two of Kutztown's 14 draw controls in a game that was delayed by 90 minutes due to a scheduling mixup. Her 12 draws are the second-most in a game in program history behind only ElBouazzaoui's 13 at Holy Family last March. The sophomore from Wayne, N.J., also led the way with eight ground balls, tied for eighth-most in a game at KU.
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Kutztown's clearing game was strong, succeeding on 20-of-22 attempts, despite the teams combining for 54 turnovers. Defensively,
Cyrose Conteh (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) forced four turnovers and collected seven ground balls. The senior also moved into a tie for eighth on KU's career draw controls list with her 96th. Freshman
Summer Davis (Beach Haven, N.J./Southern Regional) added three caused turnovers and five ground balls.
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Scoring was hard to come by early. Abby Seasock put Shippensburg ahead 1-0 12 seconds into the game, but the only other goal of the quarter came more than 11 minutes later when
Olivia Eilbacher (Cherry Hill, N.J./Camden Catholic) got the equalizer off a Graf pass.
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The Raiders (1-4, 0-1 PSAC East) took two more one-goal leads in the second quarter, but Yocum and Lake had the answers to keep the Bears right in line. Graf's goal with 37 seconds to go before halftime put KU in front for the first time, 4-3.
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Jenna Blesson (Sparta, N.J./Lenape Valley Regional) made six saves for the Bears, who improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2016. Her counterpart in goal, Kayla Vosburg, had 12 stops for the Raiders. Kutztown limited Shippensburg to just five shots in the second half.
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The Golden Bears will now depart for Florida where they'll put their unbeaten start on the line against 14th-ranked Lynn in Boca Raton Friday at 11 a.m.
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