KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The No. 1-ranked Kutztown University field hockey team secured its 13th straight win Tuesday night at Andre Reed Stadium, taking down No. 5 West Chester 3-1 to continue its program-record streak.
The win marked the Bears' (13-0, 5-0 PSAC) fifth ranked victory of the season, as they remain perfect with a 13-0 start. Tuesday's triumph also brought another milestone: KU tied the single-season program assist record with 47, a mark originally set in 2022. The Bears are also just one goal shy of matching the program's single-season goals record (73), set in 2005.
The Bears applied early pressure, earning five penalty corners and four shots in the first quarter, but didn't break through until the second. Off a successful corner 3:09 into the frame,
Erin Gonzalez (East Earl, Pa./Garden Spot) inserted a clean pass to
Taylor Vaccaro (Oley, Pa./Oley Valley), who fired from the top of the circle for her sixth career goal.
Kutztown entered halftime up 1-0 and a player up after a West Chester yellow card for tripping Gonzalez.
Despite being shorthanded, the Rams (8-4, 3-2 PSAC) struck quickly in the third, tying the game less than a minute in with a reverse chip shot. Kutztown answered with two goals in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Jessica Traynor (Pennsburg, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) delivered the game-winner, her 20th career goal, off a feed from
Ellie Myers (Denver, Pa./Cocalico), lifting the ball high over the goalie to make it 2-1.
West Chester pushed back, earning four of its eight corners over the next few minutes, but the KU defense held firm. Once the Bears regained possession, they struck again. Off another corner, Myers found the back of the cage herself to give KU its final 3-1 margin.
Freshman goalkeeper
Tess Adolf (Lawrence, N.J./Lawrence) finished with five saves as the Bears' back line anchored yet another strong performance. Kutztown posted 11 shots to West Chester's 10 and earned 12 corners to the Rams' eight.
Kutztown remains one of just two undefeated teams in Division II and continues to rewrite the program record book as the nation's No. 1 team. The Bears return to Andre Reed Stadium this Saturday, Oct. 18, for Homecoming and Senior Day, with an early start at 10 a.m.
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