BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Kutztown put its unbeaten record on the line Friday in the Sunshine State against No. 14 Lynn and nearly came up with its first win over a ranked opponent since the program relaunched in 2008. The Golden Bears outscored Lynn 4-2 in the fourth quarter to close within two with under five minutes remaining, but could ultimately get no closer in a 13-11 setback at Bobby Campbell Stadium.
 
Sam Graf (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) was terrific offensively with five goals and 10 draw controls. Emma Meakim (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) added four assists and Cyrose Conteh (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) had four ground balls and four draw controls, including the 100th draw control of her career.
 
Kutztown (5-1) forced three ties in the first quarter after falling behind by a goal each time. Olivia Eilbacher (Cherry Hill, N.J./Camden Catholic) opened the scoring for the Maroon and Gold with 10:37 left in the first, answering Isabella Clark's goal at 12:52 for Lynn (9-1).
 
Just under three minutes later, following a Sydney Hill goal, KU responded with Shannon Lake (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue-Medford) setting up Graf for her first of the day. Katie Yocum (Hanover, Pa./South Western) pulled the Bears even once again with 3:11 to go, finishing off a pass from Graf.
 
The Fighting Knights led 4-3 after one and extended their advantage to 8-6 at the half following a 4-3 second quarter edge. Graf scored twice more for KU, Sammy Ruwet (Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional) tallied her fourth goal of the season and Kayla Brooks (Mountville, Pa./Hempfield) and Meakim picked up assists.
 
Lynn locked down defensively in the third, holding the visitors to a single goal and running their lead to four, 11-7. Graf's fourth goal of the game accounted for Kutztown's only offense of the period.
 
Kristen Nicholson's team battled to the final horn, twice slashing a four-goal deficit to two in the final 15 minutes. Lake (14:16) and Graf (13:27) converted free position attempts 49 seconds apart to make it 11-9 with plenty of time to play.
 
Lynn answered with a Mallory Jarka free position goal (man-up) at 11:18 and Clark completed her hat trick at 6:03.
 
Quick strikes by the Bears had them still believing, however. Meakim set up Morgan Hurd (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) at 4:55 and Eilbacher at 4:19, bringing KU back within two, 13-11.
 
Kutztown got a big save from backup goalie Marisa Bragg (Ringoes, N.J./Hunterdon Central), who came on in relief of an injured Jenna Blesson (Sparta, N.J./Lenape Valley Regional) in the third quarter, but the Bears' final two possessions ended in turnovers and Lynn ran out the clock to take the first meeting between the two schools.
 
A game after registering the second-most draw controls in a game (12), Graf put forth another double-digit performance to also occupy a share of fourth on the program's single-game list. She wasn't the only Golden Bear making waves in the record book, Friday.
 
With four assists, Meakim increased her PSAC lead to 22 (3.67/game). She's got four multi-assist efforts in six games and already stands tied for second among the school's single-season leaders, just seven shy of Kim Irvine's record 29 in 1988. Kutztown still has 10 regular season games remaining.
 
Conteh became the eighth player in program history to record 100 career draw controls. She's three shy of hall of famer Lisa Rawa for seventh all-time and has a good shot to move into the top three by season's end.
 
Blesson was strong in goal with seven saves and five ground balls before departing at the 42-minute mark after taking a shot to the knee. Bragg made two saves in 18 minutes of action.
 
The separation between the two teams and where Kutztown aspires to be –in the national rankings—seemed miniscule. The Golden Bears were able to match Lynn across nearly all statistical categories. The hosts held a 32-26 edge in shots, but KU took one more shot on goal, 23-22.
 
Draw controls favored Kutztown, 16-12, but the Fighting Knights won the turnover battle with 14 to KU's 19. The Bears cleared with more efficiency, going 14-of-16, with Lynn at 16-of-22.
 
Clark's hat trick led a group of four multi-goal scorers for Lynn. Kristyn Johnson and Elizabeth Clagett each had two goals and an assist, while Jarka added a pair of goals. Goalie Ciara Moorman turned aside 12 Golden Bear shots, caused a turnover and led all players with nine ground balls.
 
Kutztown will travel back to Pennsylvania and get back into PSAC East play next week when they make the trip up to Bloomsburg for a Wednesday afternoon matchup. Game time is 2 p.m.
  Read Full Article