PREVIEW | Women’s Soccer seeks elusive conference title against Shepherd

WEST CHESTER, Pa. – In what is almost the same outcome of the 2024 edition of this postseason tournament, the Kutztown University women's soccer team takes the pitch with the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title on the line and the Shepherd Rams on the opposing sideline, this time on Sunday at 1 p.m. at West Chester's Rockwell Field.

The Golden Bears (13-4-1, East No. 2) held the better regular season mark this time around over the Rams (10-1-6, East No. 3) by one point, granting it the higher seed in this year's postseason. Similar to last year, both teams took care of business in the opening two rounds of the postseason, setting up another meaningful meeting on a neutral field.

For the Golden Bears, it is the program's eighth ever trip to the conference finals, with the last six matchups coming on the road. They seek their first PSAC title in the team's illustrious 42-year history, and for 18th-year head coach Erik Burstein, he hopes his team can secure the top mark in his sixth trip to the game.

The Maroon and Gold hosted the Rams early in the season, falling 2-0 at Keystone Field. KU rebounded in their meeting on Oct 8, pulling out a 1-0 win that gave the Rams their lone loss of the season and broke a 16-game unbeaten streak that was one of the longest in the nation at the time.

Prior to last season's PSAC Championship meeting, the Golden Bears and Rams hadn't met in the postseason. Kutztown holds a 16-3-2 edge in the all-time series, including the aforementioned wins at each other's home field earlier this season.

Tickets can be purchased through the site linked above. Tickets are $12 for adults and $7 for students (K-12). Students from PSAC institutions are free with a valid student ID. Children who have not yet reached kindergarten (Pre-K) are also free. PSAC passes will be accepted.

The livestream and stats links can be found above, along with the conference's tournament central and more information about the tournament's host, West Chester University.

The matchup between Kutztown and Shepherd will take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Rockwell Field in West Chester. With both teams likely having a spot secured in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Championships this upcoming week, the result of this game will likely be a battle for hosting honors as well as higher seeding, with the first two seeds in the region hosting a group of games.

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