KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Third-ranked Kutztown field hockey secured a thrilling 2-1 victory over sixth-ranked Southern New Hampshire on Saturday afternoon at Andre Reed Stadium to punch their ticket to the NCAA semifinals.
Sierra Jester (Felton, Del./Lake Forest) delivered her first goal of the season—arguably the biggest one yet—while
Juliana Donato (Cedarville, N.J./Schalick) sealed the deal with her fifth of the year, a golden goal game-winner that sent the Bears to the Final Four.
SNHU (16-4 overall), the fifth seed in the eight-team NCAA Championship field, struck early with a goal 6:41 into the game. Annemartine Christis, the leading scorer in Division II, notched her 30th goal of the season with a reverse chip that deflected off a Kutztown defender into the cage.
The game featured aggressive back-and-forth action, with the visiting Penmen earning a green card at the 25:15 mark. Despite trailing 1-0, the fourth-seeded Bears (15-5 overall) controlled the game with a lopsided 27-2 shot advantage and an 18-0 advantage in penalty corners.
Kutztown broke through at the 43:05 mark on their 22nd shot of the afternoon. Donato's cross-cage shot found its way into a scrum, where Jester dove in and powered the ball past SNHU goalie Emma Peeters. For Jester, it marked her third career goal, while Donato earned assist No. 30 in her storied KU career --third most in program history.
Though the field was heavily tilted in KU's favor throughout the afternoon, regulation ended with the teams even at one.
Early in the second overtime period forward
Erin Gonzalez (East Earl, Pa./Garden Spot) was tripped on a fast break up the left side earning Kutztown a penalty stroke.
Donato, a two-time All-PSAC First Team midfielder, stepped up and buried her attempt into the top right corner of the net for the winner, setting off a raucous celebration from the Golden Bear players and staff.
Kutztown is headed to the Final Four in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history and its fourth Final Four all-time (1982, 2019, 2023 and 2024).
The Golden Bears will face PSAC rival and top ranked Shippensburg at Limestone's Saints Field in Gaffney, S.C., on Friday, Nov. 22, at 2 p.m. The teams will be meeting for the third time this season, with the Raiders having earned a 2-0 win at Andre Reed Stadium on Sept. 18, and a 3-2 victory on their home turf on Oct. 15. Kutztown picked up a 2-1 win over Ship in the 2023 NCAA DII semifinals.
