KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Lailah ElBouazzaoui (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) recorded a hat trick to climb to second all-time in career points at Kutztown, but the No. 14 Golden Bears fell to No. 2 West Chester, 18-13, in a high-intensity PSAC matchup Wednesday night at Keystone Field.
ElBouazzaoui's three-goal performance brought her career total to 234 points, surpassing the previous second-place mark of 233. She now trails only teammate
Sam Graf (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills), who also had a standout night. Graf led the team in points, scoring once and dishing out five assists—tied for sixth all-time at KU for assists in a single game. Her six-point outing brings her season total to 85, which ranks second in program history for a single season. She already owns the top spot, set last year.
The game started slowly on the offensive end, with each team scoring just once in the opening 12 minutes.
Olivia Eilbacher (Cherry Hill, N.J./Camden Catholic) put the Golden Bears (9-6, 6-4 PSAC East) on the board early, finishing a feed from Graf just under two minutes in. West Chester (14-0, 10-0 PSAC East) responded with 5:59 left in the first, then added three more goals in the final 2:48 to take a 4-1 lead into the second quarter.
The second frame was more balanced, with the Rams narrowly outscoring KU 6-4. ElBouazzaoui opened the period by going coast-to-coast after a successful clear and scoring unassisted.
Maddie Wagner (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) closed out the half with a natural hat trick, netting the next three goals for the Bears. Despite the push, West Chester maintained a 10-5 advantage at the break.
Both teams turned up the intensity in the third quarter. Eilbacher tallied her second just over a minute in, but the Rams answered quickly. Following a draw control from ElBouazzaoui and back-to-back saves from
Marisa Bragg (Ringoes, N.J./Hunterdon Central), Graf capitalized on a man-up opportunity to make it 11-7. Kutztown faced adversity when
Summer Davis (Beach Haven, N.J./Southern Regional) received two consecutive yellow cards and fouled out of the game, despite recording three ground balls, one draw control, and two caused turnovers. West Chester scored on the ensuing opportunity, but a turnover caused by
Avery Hershey (Denver, Pa./Cocalico) halted their next free-position attempt.
Emma Taylor (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown) entered the cage midway through the third and made an immediate impact, posting four key saves in the final 9:14 of the quarter. ElBouazzaoui and
Lauren LaMorte (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) each added goals, and Kutztown matched West Chester 4-4 in the quarter to stay within striking distance, down 14-9 heading into the fourth.
The final quarter featured back-and-forth scoring. Hershey opened the frame with one of her four draw controls, and while the Rams struck first, ElBouazzaoui answered with her third of the game just over a minute later. LaMorte added her second off a feed from
Alexis Plesic (Hanover, Pa./South Western), who also scored two of her own down the stretch. Kutztown once again played the Rams even, 4-4, in the quarter to bring the final to 18-13.
Taylor finished with nine saves, including five crucial stops in the fourth, while Bragg added seven. The duo combined for 16 saves—more than triple West Chester's five.
Graf, the reigning PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week, continued her dominance with a team-high four caused turnovers, bringing her season total to 45—second all-time at KU for a single season. Hershey led the team in ground balls with four and, along with ElBouazzaoui, combined for nine of Kutztown's 12 draw controls. Despite the strong individual efforts, West Chester controlled the circle with 23 draw wins.
The Golden Bears return to action Saturday, April 19, with a 3:00 p.m. PSAC East matchup at Shippensburg.
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