KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- Erin Gonzalez (East Earl, Pa./Garden Spot) brought top-ranked Kutztown within a goal late in Sunday's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Field Hockey Championship Game at Andre Reed Stadium but the Golden Bears were unable to find the equalizer in a 2-1 defeat against No. 2 Shippensburg.

A strong first half from the visiting third-seeded Raiders resulted in a pair of goals and an 8-4 shot advantage. Shippensburg protected its two goal lead until the final three minutes and withstood a valiant rally by top-seeded Kutztown (19-1) to win its second straight PSAC championship and fourth overall.

The Golden Bears entered the championship clash as one of only two unbeaten teams remaining in NCAA Division II along with South Atlantic Conference (SAC) champion Newberry (18-0). KU had already established program records for consecutive victories and wins to start a season (19) but was in search of its first PSAC tournament title.

Shippensburg (17-3), which fell to Kutztown 2-0 in the regular season finale at Andre Reed Stadium back on Nov. 1, brought a heightened intensity to this meeting right from the opening whistle.

The Raiders were awarded a penalty stroke in the 10th minute after a shot from Lilly Cantabene was illegally contacted on the goal line by a Kutztown defender. Kayla Snyder stepped up and converted the attempt for a 1-0 lead, putting the Bears at a deficit for just the third time this season and first time since Oct. 1, when they rallied for a 3-1 win at East Stroudsburg.

Shippensburg doubled its advantage to 2-0 in the 21st minute. Cantabene split two defenders and fed Carme Caracotche Picone who beat KU goalie Tess Adolf (Lawrence, N.J./Lawrence) with a hard low shot from deep in the circle.

Kutztown started to push back late in the half but Raider goalie Emma Albee stopped two quick chances from Jessica Traynor (Pennsburg, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) and Sierra Jester (Felton, Del./Lake Forest) off a corner to preserve her team's two-goal lead.

Shippensburg's stronghold on the game remained late into the fourth quarter, but Gonzalez gave the Golden Bears life with her team-leading 17th goal of the season at the 57-minute mark. The senior from East Earl, Pa., carried the ball down the left side before sending a shot towards the cage that deflected off the stick of a Raider defender and in.

Immediately after the Gonzalez goal, Kutztown was back on the attack and earned a penalty corner with 2:24 to play. The Maroon and Gold have been stellar on their corner execution through the season but Shippensburg cleared this one away and hemmed Kutztown in its own territory the rest of the way.

Shippensburg held a 10-9 edge in shots, including 7-4 in shots on goal. The Raiders also attempted nine corners to KU's seven. Adolf made five saves for the Bears, as Shippensburg became the first team to defeat the talented freshman in her 19 appearances this season. Albee stopped three shots for the Raiders.

The Raiders claimed the PSAC's automatic berth into the eight-team NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championship tournament, which will be announced during the selection show tonight at 9:30 p.m., on NCAA.com.

Kutztown, which held the top spot in the NCAA's Atlantic Region rankings each of the last two weeks, is likely to receive one of three available at-large berths from the region. Five Atlantic Region teams will be selected, including automatic qualifying champions from the PSAC (Shippensburg) and SAC (Newberry). The East Region will have three teams selected, including the automatic qualifying champion from the Northeast 10 (defending national champion Saint Anselm).

The Golden Bears are looking for their ninth appearance in the NCAA Championship tournament all-time. They've reached the national championship game in each of the last two seasons, winning the program's first title in 2023 and finishing as runners-up in 2024.
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