KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown University women's lacrosse surprisingly trailed upstart Millersville by a goal at the end of the first quarter and at halftime but senior standout Sam Graf (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) made sure Senior Day ended happily for the Maroon and Gold. Graf scored a program single-game record eight goals and tied a program single-game record with 10 points as the 14th-ranked Golden Bears outscored the Marauders 11-2 in the second half to earn a 20-12 PSAC East victory at Keystone Field Saturday afternoon.
 
If the opening draw were to set the stage for the day, it appeared that Kutztown (7-4, 4-2 PSAC East) would run away and hide. Graf, a two-time All-American, took possession and raced down the field, depositing a shot behind Marauder goalie KC O'Neill 11 seconds in for a 1-0 lead.
 
Graf proceeded to win the next draw and scored her 40th goal of the year just over half a minute later to increase the Bears' lead to 2-0 just 50 seconds in.
 
Millersville (6-4, 2-3 PSAC East) were in no mood to roll over, however. Ashlyn Simonetti (player up), Mary Moraca, Rachel Keeney and Jodylynn Cadden scored consecutive goals to put the visitors in front 4-2 and the Marauder defense held KU scoreless for nearly nine minutes of the first quarter before Olivia Eilbacher (Cherry Hill, N.J./Camden Catholic) (3:28) and Lauren LaMorte (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) (3:12) scored 16 seconds apart to tie the game. Graf assisted on both goals.
 
Simonetti's second goal of the afternoon pushed Millersville in front, 5-4, after a quarter.
 
The back-and-forth continued in the second, with each team scoring five times. Graf completed her hat trick during a player up situation 36 seconds into the period to even the score at five.
 
Trailing 6-5, Kutztown went on a 4-1 run behind goals from Lailah ElBouazzaoui (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan), Graf, Alexis Plesic (Hanover, Pa./South Western) and Maddie Wagner (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) to take a 9-7 advantage with 4:23 remaining before halftime. The Marauders had an answer once again, firing back with three straight goals to take a 10-9 lead at the break.
 
The Golden Bears finally assumed control with strong play at both ends of the field in the third. Graf had four goals to account for half of KU's eight in the quarter and her eighth, which came with 1:47 left in the period, surpassed the previous school single-game record of seven. Graf held a share of the prior record along with five other players. The record-setting goal also marked the Wayne, N.J., native's 10th point of the afternoon, moving her into a share of the program's single-game record with Lindsey Crits, who had 10 points against Erskine back on March 20, 2010.
 
Joining Graf in Kutztown's third-quarter scoring barrage were LaMorte (three) and Eilbacher. At the other end, goalie Emma Taylor (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown) made three saves while limiting the Marauders to a single goal. Taylor was even better in the fourth, turning aside six Millersville shots to finish with 11 saves and just five goals allowed in almost 43 minutes of work.
 
Wagner and Eilbacher scored goals midway through the fourth to open up KU's biggest lead of the afternoon at 19-11 and freshman Gabriella Mina (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) capped the scoring, finishing a rebound for her first career goal with 2:49 to go.
 
Kutztown outshot Millersville 38-26 and picked up 18 ground balls to the Marauders 16. Millersville held a 19-17 edge in draw controls and committed one less turnover (16-17).
 
LaMorte tied a career-high with five points (4 goals, assist) and Eilbacher had four points (3 goals, assist). In addition to her massive offensive game, Graf supplied game-highs of six caused turnovers and six draw controls.
 
Simonetti totaled a team-high six points (5 goals, assist) for Millersville and Moraca had four points (2 goals, 2 assists).
 
Kutztown enjoyed its first 20-goal game as a team since a 21-6 win at Shepherd on March 23, 2024.

Prior to the game, KU recognized its 2025 senior class with a ceremony. Seniors honored included Narissa Jackson (manager), Kayla Brooks (Mountville, Pa./Hempfield), Emily Christiansen (Ledgewood, N.J./Roxbury), Eilbacher, ElBouazzaoui, Graf, Rory Nilsen (Lansdale, Pa./Pope John Paul II), Zoe Powell (Collierville, Tenn./Collierville) and Taylor (graduate student).
 
The Golden Bears travel to Bloomsburg this coming Wednesday, April 2, for a PSAC East game at 2 p.m. They'll return home to face Shepherd the following Wednesday, April 9, at 3 p.m. Read Full Article