WEST CHESTER, Pa. – The third-seeded Kutztown University women's soccer team overcame a pesky breeze to claim a 1-0 victory over the second-seeded Golden Rams of West Chester in the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Championship at Rockwell Field on Tuesday afternoon.
The Golden Bears (10-3-6) held steady against a Golden Rams (10-7-1) squad with a strong attack, as they did in a pair of other matches in the regular season that concluded in a win and a draw in favor of KU. The visitors continued their control of the season series with another aggressive PSAC battle that eliminated the reigning conference champions from the tournament in the first round of competition.
Kutztown had the wind in their favor in the first half, but they couldn't take advantage of the opportunity despite nine shots in the first 45 minutes. KU was able to control possession and be more aggressive as a result of the favorable weather to start the game, but it remained a scoreless draw headed into the break.
The Golden Bears remained the controlling team into the second half, battling both the wind and the Golden Rams' defense on their way to a few great opportunities, including a shot on goal by forward Caroline McDonald (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) after she advanced past a pair of defenders.
It wasn't until a strike by Skyler Jordan (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth) off a free kick assist from Maura Day (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Abington) in the 55th minute that the Golden Bears broke the scoreless tie. The junior's first career goal came after a battle in the box where the ball found its way to the left side of the frame for the deciding advantage.
The Maroon and Gold defensive unit, led by Jordan and Bridget Curtis (Warrington, Pa./Central Bucks South), held strong for the entire battle. They had to face several attacks from West Chester's Kaitlynn Haughey and Faith Matter, who were ultimately kept at bay to hand the Golden Rams their third shutout loss in four games.
The Golden Bears dominated the game in shots (12-8) while matching their opponent in on-target strikes (4-4). The opportunities from West Chester were hampered by their game-leading ten fouls and two offsides called against them.
Freshman goalkeeper Cassidy Howes (Havre de Grace, Md./Havre de Grace) had the arduous task of facing West Chester's offensive attack, making four saves while weathering the eight shots from the Golden Rams. She came in clutch in the final 10 minutes, saving a pair of on-target shots in the home team's last-ditch effort.
The Golden Bears snap a playoff skid against the Golden Rams, who had defeated Kutztown in each of the previous three postseasons, all in NCAA Championship competition.
Kutztown advances to the semifinal round of the PSAC Championships on Friday, Nov. 15, where they await the winner of the PSAC West's top-seeded Gannon and fourth-seeded Pitt-Johnstown. They strengthen their case for the NCAA Division II Championships, where they hope to hear their name called among Division II's 56 best programs on the selection show, which takes place Monday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m.
