WALTHAM, Mass. – The top-ranked Kutztown University field hockey team continued its unstoppable run, overpowering Bentley University with a commanding 5-1 victory on a sun-soaked afternoon in Waltham, Mass. This marks the Golden Bears' second win in two days, following a triumphant performance against Southern New Hampshire on Saturday.
The last time Kutztown faced Bentley was on September 8, 2023, in a close 1-0 contest, but it's no surprise that this time around, the Golden Bears quintupled that score.
Kutztown capitalized on 3 out of 4 penalty corners in the first half, netting three of their goals off set plays.
Graduate student
Sarah Gatehouse (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson) opened the scoring at the 8:56 mark of the first quarter, notching her first goal of the 2024 season and the 12th of her career. Just minutes later, freshman
Jocelyn Morgan (Easton, Pa./Easton) doubled the lead, scoring her first career goal for Kutztown at 12:16.
The second quarter was marked by balanced play between the 30-yard lines, with back-and-forth midfield battles. However, Kutztown broke through with back-to-back penalty corners at the 7:49 mark, and Gatehouse again found the back of the net for her second goal of the day and season.
Graduate student
Mia Simpson's (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette) noteworthy hand-eye coordination was on display as she scored her first goal of the game with 2:27 remaining in the second quarter, converting a knee-high pass from Gatehouse, who earned her third point of the game with the assist.
The Golden Bears continued their offensive dominance into the third quarter, with Simpson adding her second goal of the day, assisted by senior
Juliana Donato (Cedarville, N.J./Schalick), just 4:48 into the third.
Bentley managed to break through with its first shot on goal and score against Kutztown in two years at the 2:15 mark of the fourth quarter, but the Golden Bears' formidable defense quickly regrouped, shutting down their opponent for the remainder of the game.
Goalkeeper
Mia Kepler (Wall Township, N.J./Wall) held a solid presence through the first three quarters, earning her fourth shutout of the season.
Alaina Telenko (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) took over in the fourth quarter, showing strong composure in net, while freshman
Lorelai Lehenky (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) stepped in for the final 8:00 minutes, helping secure the authoritative 5-1 victory for the Golden Bears.
No. 1 Kutztown returns to action on Wednesday, September 18, for a highly anticipated home matchup against No. 3 Shippensburg at 3:00 p.m.
