KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's soccer team played host in a battle of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division heavyweights, falling 2-0 to the 21st-ranked West Chester Golden Rams on Wednesday night at Keystone Field.
The Golden Bears (8-4-1, 6-4-1 PSAC East) had a tough task ahead of them, competing against one of the top teams in the conference on both sides of the ball. While Kutztown was up to the test, the attack of the Golden Rams (9-1-3, 7-1-3 PSAC East) was too much to handle on a chilly October evening.
It all started with West Chester controlling the pace of play for a majority of the night, forcing throw-ins on any early chance for the Golden Bears' attack. Its pesky play got to the opposition in the 22nd minute, when Victoria Pungello buried a goal off an assist from the right side. The senior midfielder was the leading force on the night, notching a second goal off a free kick in the second half and taking five shots on frame. Each team had late pushes into the opposing defensive units, including a West Chester free kick right in front of the box that couldn't get past Kutztown's defensive wall, but the score stayed the same through the end.
Kutztown couldn't seem to get the same volume of tries on frame, as junior
Corinne Morgan (Port Republic, N.J./Cedar Creek) was well guarded and managed to slip by for three shots on the day. Senior
Caroline McDonald (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) had one shot on frame, while
Kaitlyn Hankins (Neptune, N.J./Neptune) and
Regan Curabba (Shohola, Pa./Delaware Valley) took their try at a score, each to no avail.
The game featured a battle of goalkeepers each having stellar seasons for their respective sides. West Chester's Grace Keen, the statistically best keeper in the conference, recorded just two saves as her defense provided the pressure against Kutztown's attack. Despite her two allowed goals on the evening, junior
Morgan O'Donnell (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) recorded ten saves, her second career game with double-digit stops; the other occurrence coming earlier this season at West Chester. The West Chester, Pa., native faced 22 total shots, staying strong in the midst of a Golden Rams attack that was firing from all angles.
West Chester led the game in shots (22-7), shots on goal (12-2), and corner kicks (4-2), while Kutztown had a commanding lead in saves, 10-2, including six in the second half.
Despite the loss, Kutztown, who received votes earlier this week in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, clinched a spot in the PSAC Women's Soccer Championship by way of East Stroudsburg's 2-1 loss to Bloomsburg earlier in the night. West Chester currently holds the top seed in the East Division, followed by Shepherd, Bloomsburg, KU, and Millersville.
The Golden Bears will travel to East Stroudsburg to face the Warriors at Eiler-Martin Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 4 p.m. The team returns home for its final regular-season matchup of 2025 when it hosts Shippensburg on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 3 p.m.
