BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Lailah ElBouazzaoui (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) recorded a game-high seven goals, while
Sam Graf (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) tallied six points and surpassed the 300-career-point milestone in Kutztown's 18-10 victory over Bloomsburg on Wednesday afternoon at Steph Pettit Stadium.
Graf became the first player in program history to reach 300 career points. She finished with three goals and three assists against the Huskies, bringing her season total to 49 goals and 68 points. She currently ranks fourth in program history for most points in a single season.
ElBouazzaoui matched her career best and tied the second-highest single-game goal total in program history with her seven-goal performance. Her eight total points on the afternoon rank seventh in Kutztown's single-game records.
Including Graf and ElBouazzaoui, eight different Golden Bears found the back of the net.
Olivia Eilbacher (Cherry Hill, N.J./Camden Catholic) notched a hat trick, while
Alexis Plesic (Hanover, Pa./South Western),
Gabriella Mina (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee),
Lauren LaMorte (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip),
Maddie Wagner (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township), and
Isabella Montuori (Bohemia, N.Y./Connetquot) each added a goal.
Bloomsburg (6-5, 2-4 PSAC East) struck first, scoring just 2:05 into the game. No. 13 Kutztown (8-4, 5-2 PSAC East) quickly responded, as Eilbacher converted off a Graf assist before Wagner capitalized on a man-up opportunity to give the Bears their first lead, 2-1. The Huskies answered with back-to-back goals in a 16-second span to reclaim the advantage, but Graf responded with two of her own to put Kutztown ahead 4-3 heading into the second quarter.
Kutztown controlled the opening draw of the second, executing a draw-and-dump play that saw LaMorte feed ElBouazzaoui for a goal. The Bears extended their lead to 7-3 before Bloomsburg called a timeout and responded with their first goal of the quarter. Plesic answered with a free-position goal, but the Huskies capitalized on a failed Kutztown clear and rattled off four straight goals to tie the game 8-8 with 3:51 left in the half.
Moments later, Graf made history, weaving through defenders to score her 300th career point and put the Bears back on top. ElBouazzaoui added another in the final minute, sending Kutztown into halftime with a 10-8 lead.
From there, the Bears took control. Kutztown outscored Bloomsburg 3-1 in the third quarter, with ElBouazzaoui accounting for all three goals to extend the lead to 13-9. The momentum carried into the fourth, as freshmen Mina and Montuori each found the back of the net before ElBouazzaoui added two more to secure her sixth and seventh goals of the game. Bloomsburg managed one final tally, making it 17-10 with 7:27 remaining, but Eilbacher sealed the victory with her third goal of the afternoon.
Reigning PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week
Emma Taylor (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown) recorded two saves, while
Marisa Bragg (Ringoes, N.J./Hunterdon Central) made four stops in net.
Summer Davis (Beach Haven, N.J./Southern Regional) led the team with a game-high six ground balls, while Davis,
Kayla Brooks (Mountville, Pa./Hempfield), and Graf each forced two turnovers.
The Golden Bears return to action on Wednesday, April 9, hosting Shepherd at 3:00 p.m. in PSAC play.
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