KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University women's soccer team found the back of the net three times in the second half to overcome an early deficit and defeat the Shippensburg Raiders, 3-1, on Wednesday afternoon in the regular season finale at Keystone Field.
The Golden Bears (11-4-1, 9-4-1 PSAC East) were given an early wake-up call in the second minute, as the Raiders (4-9-3, 2-9-3 PSAC East) snuck a strike into the net for an advantage that would last well into the second half. Despite the first half deficit, Kutztown didn't waver and made a plan to come back out with a stronger and more potent attack in the final 45 minutes
Kutztown continued to pressure Shippensburg's defensive unit, forcing their line back into the face of keeper Kirstin Brown. The pressure finally paid off in the 62nd minute, when junior Corinne Morgan (Port Republic, N.J./Cedar Creek) shook off some wrist pain inflicted by a defender and landed one of her 10 shots – on an assist from fellow forward Caroline McDonald (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) – for KU's first tally of the game.
The team's patented aggression didn't stop after drawing even with the Raiders. The Maroon and Gold shot nine times in the 17 minutes that followed its opening goal, adding a pair of goals in the 71st and 79th minutes. The second goal of the game came off the boot of Regan Curabba (Shohola, Pa./Delaware Valley) for her fourth tally of the season, while Kutztown's third goal from Charlotte Rauch (Bellport, N.Y./Bellport) was confirmed after some confusion in the box, allowing KU to cruise in the final ten minutes of play.
Morgan's ten shots led all players on the afternoon, while McDonald and Curabba each had three shots, the latter after coming off the bench. Rauch and sophomore Sarah Bronico (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) each had a pair of shots to assist in Kutztown's pressure, and midfielder Ryleigh Cook led the Raiders in total shots with three.
Two-time PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Week Morgan O'Donnell (West Chester, Pa./Bayard Rustin) tallied a trio of saves while locking down the box for the final 88 minutes of the game. The Kutztown goalkeeper was able to lead a defensive unit that avenged a 1-0 loss to Shippensburg from earlier this season.
Kutztown held a 25-8 advantage in shots, 15 of which came in the latter period. The Golden Bears also led the game in shots on goal (9-4) and corner kicks (10-4), while the Raiders doubled up Kutztown in saves, 6-3.
The Golden Bears were announced as the fourth-best team in the NCAA DII Atlantic Region Polls in today's rankings, based on games up to November 2 and released during today's game. West Chester, Gannon and Slippery Rock sit in the top three of the region's first numerical rankings, followed by KU and Indiana (Pa.) rounding out the top five.
With the win, the Golden Bears locked themselves into the second seed in the East Division, trailing West Chester in a crowded bunch. The team will welcome Indiana (Pa.) (13-2-2, 10-2-1 PSAC West), the third seed in the West Division, to Keystone Field for the quarterfinal round of the PSAC Women's Soccer Championships on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at a time to be determined later.
