KUTZTOWN, Pa. – After a late surge from both teams near the end of the second half, the 13th-ranked Kutztown women's soccer team fought to a 1-1 draw with 25th-ranked Shepherd on Saturday afternoon in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division showdown at Keystone Field.
The Golden Bears (4-1-3 overall, 2-1-3 PSAC East) had a tough challenge at hand against the last undefeated PSAC East team, but they matched Shepherd's intensity throughout the game, leading to the Golden Bears' third draw in the last four outings.
The Maroon and Gold limited the Rams (4-0-3 overall, 4-0-1 PSAC East) to a pair of shots in the opening frame, but Kutztown's four fouls showed the rough conditions on the pitch. While the Golden Bears held the advantage in shots, both teams held strong to post a scoreless first half.
The second half started to look similar to the first, but as the game wore on, both offenses started to make attacks to turn the tides in favor of their team. It wasn't until the 77th minute that Shepherd's Taylor Schuck, a midfielder from off the bench, struck the back of the net to give the Rams a 1-0 advantage.
Kutztown continued pushing late into the final ten minutes of the game, and it wasn't until an 84th-minute strike from sophomore
Corinne Morgan (Port Republic, N.J./Cedar Creek) evened the tally, which held through the final horn. The aggressive second half was evident in the box score, where Kutztown led in shots, 7-5, while Shepherd held a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks.
Both goalkeepers allowed a single shot past on four attempts. Sophomore
Morgan O'Donnell (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) got the nod in between the posts for the Golden Bears, and she weathered seven Rams scoring attempts as well as a pesky rainstorm that didn't help either team throughout the match.
Morgan, who came off the bench for the first time this season, is now second on the team with four goals, with just one of them being assisted on the year.
Kutztown stays home for its next outing, as they will look to get revenge on visiting West Chester in their first meeting since the 1-0 Golden Rams' victory in the second round of last year's NCAA Tournament. The match at Keystone Field is set for Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m.
