KUTZTOWN, Pa. – If head coach Kristen Nicholson was wondering about the type of response she'd get from her team coming off its first conference loss of the season, she didn't have to wait long to get her answer.
 
Kutztown came out red hot on Senior Day, scoring the first six goals and opening an 8-2 lead after a quarter on its way to a crucial 19-7 PSAC East victory over Millersville Saturday at Keystone Field.
 
The Golden Bears and Marauders came in with matching 3-1 league records, both hoping to take a step forward towards a potential postseason berth. Kutztown slammed the door shut on the Marauders quickly, as Emma Meakim (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland), Lailah ElBouazzaoui (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) and Morgan Hurd (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland) scored goals in the opening 2:29 before Millersville had even attempted a shot.
 
Goals kept coming for the Maroon and Gold. Sam Graf (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) netted her first of four on the day at 9:27, Shannon Lake (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue-Medford) finished off a pass from Meakim and Marissa Giancola (Cape May, N.J./Lower Cape May Regional) capped a 6-0 run to start the game at 6:32.
 
Liv Genovese halted the run momentarily with back-to-back goals for Millersville (6-4, 3-2 PSAC East) 72 seconds apart, but Kutztown (7-2, 4-1 PSAC East) got all the momentum back with five consecutive goals in pushing its lead to 11-2.
 
Graf's second goal of the day started the run with 3:05 left in the first quarter. It was also the sophomore's 100th career point in an astounding 26 games. Graf is the second Golden Bear to reach the century mark this season along with Meakim, who registered her 100th point at Bloomsburg, March 22.
 
Katie Yocum (Hanover, Pa./South Western), Giancola, Sammy Ruwet (Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional) and Olivia Eilbacher (Cherry Hill, N.J./Camden Catholic) followed Graf with goals.
 
Lake tallied for the second time in the waning seconds of the second quarter to make it 12-3 at the break.
 
The Golden Bears invoked the running clock on a goal from ElBouazzaoui right off the second half draw and the sophomore from Bridgewater, N.J., completed her hat trick just over three minutes later. Graf's hat trick goal came at the 6:39 mark of the third, making it 15-3 in favor of KU.
 
Kutztown's third hat trick of the afternoon came from Yocum with five minutes remaining and Graf's fourth closed the goal barrage from the Bears with 3:28 to go.
 
If not for the scoring prowess of Genovese, the Marauder offense would have been nearly non-existent. Genovese accounted for five goals with Hayden Corcoran providing the remaining two. That duo also contributed 12 of the team's 22 shots.
 
Meakim led the Bears with five points on a pair of goals and three assists. It was the sixth straight game with three or more assists for the junior from Hatboro, Pa., who moved into a three-way tie for fifth on the program's career assists list with her 34th. Meakim's 110 points are currently 11th most all-time at KU, 12 shy of Lauren Huggins for 10th.
 
Graf, who ended the day with 102 career points after a four-goal performance, is the 14th player in program history to reach the 100-point milestone and is currently 13th among the program's all-time leading scorers. The Wayne, N.J., native also secured a game-high nine draw controls, going over 100 for her career (104) in that category as well and establishing a new KU single-season record with her 65th, breaking the former mark of 61 held by Emily Smith (2017).
 
It was a well-balanced effort from KU offensively. Lake had two goals and two assists for four points and ElBouazzaoui also had four points on three goals and a helper.
 
Defensively, Cyrose Conteh (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) and Emily Christiansen (Ledgewood, N.J./Roxbury) caused a pair of turnovers each. Jenna Blesson (Sparta, N.J./Lenape Valley Regional) was big in net, making a season-high 10 saves, while her counterpart, Morgan Scott, made 14 under constant pressure from the Golden Bear attack.
 
Kutztown nearly doubled up the Marauders in the shot department, 43-22, while committing a season-low nine turnovers. The Bears were a perfect 15-of-15 on clears and held the edge in ground balls (18-14) and draws (17-13).

Prior to the game, the coaching staff and team honored the six 2023 KU seniors: Blesson, Conteh, Brooke-Lynn Grim (Abbottstown, Pa./New Oxford), Giancola, Hurd and Avery Meiners (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge).
 
With its seventh win of the season, Kutztown equaled its highest total since relaunching the sport in 2008. The Bears previously won seven games in 2016, 2017 and 2019. The all-time record for wins in a season is 13 back in 1982.
 
The Golden Bears will finish their first trip through PSAC East play Wednesday when they travel to East Stroudsburg for a 3 p.m. start. It will be another tough test for KU, as ESU sits 14th in the latest IWLCA Division II Poll, but one the team is equipped for after facing No. 1 West Chester this past Wednesday.
 
With league victories over Shepherd, Shippensburg, Bloomsburg and Millersville to date, Kutztown has pulled itself into a second-place tie with the Warriors at 4-1. The top three teams will qualify for the PSAC Championship tournament at the conclusion of the regular season.
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