EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's soccer team saw four different goal scorers contribute towards a 4-1 victory over the East Stroudsburg Warriors in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Division play at Eiler-Martin Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Golden Bears (9-4-1, 7-4-1 PSAC East) took control of the game with ease, as it put 11 shots on goal in each of the two halves to pressure the Warriors' (5-7-3, 3-7-3 PSAC East) defense early and often. ESU struggled to counter with attacks of their own, and while they managed a second-half tally from midfielder Erin Griffin, KU added a pair of late goals to secure the team's ninth victory of the season.
Senior forward
Caroline McDonald (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) notched the lone goal of the opening frame, burying the ball in the top right corner to give the Golden Bears the lead. Sophomore midfielder
Sarah Bronico (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) followed McDonald in her second-half strike, landing a shot in the same area to give the Golden Bears a two-goal advantage.
After the Warriors managed to cut the lead in half, junior
Maura Day (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Abington) stepped up to take a second-half penalty kick following a yellow card against the Warriors, which she buried to extend Kutztown's lead. Forward
Regan Curabba (Shohola, Pa./Delaware Valley) found the back of the net off a nice assist from McDonald in the 84th minute to put the game away.
Junior
Corinne Morgan (Port Republic, N.J./Cedar Creek) led the team with five shots (two on goal), while McDonald took four shots and put a pair on goal. The Kutztown defense held ESU's attack to eight total shots, while only one player managed to get more than one shot on the day.
This marks the third time this season that Kutztown has featured at least four different goal scorers, with the other two instances occurring at Mansfield and at home against Millersville in early September.
Kutztown led the game in shots (22-8), shots on goal (8-4) and corners (11-3). Junior goalkeeper
Morgan O'Donnell (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) saved a trio of goals for KU while picking up her 10th career victory in the net.
The PSAC East Division postseason picture became clearer with the results of today's contests, as the five teams have been determined after the Warriors were eliminated today. West Chester and Kutztown hold the top two spots at the end of today's game, while Millersville, Shepherd and Bloomsburg sit in spots three through five. The matchups over the next few weeks will play a big role in final seeding and determining who will end up hosting through the conference tournament or playing a first-round game as a fourth or fifth seed.
The Golden Bears will finish their final road trip of the season with a Wednesday afternoon meeting with Bloomsburg on October 29 at 4 p.m. before closing out the regular season with another midweek matchup at Keystone Field against Shippensburg on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 3 p.m.
