KUTZTOWN, Pa. – No. 1 Kutztown field hockey delivered a statement victory over No. 3 East Stroudsburg with a 3-2 win Wednesday night at Andre Reed Stadium. Senior Jessica Traynor (Pennsburg, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) powered the offense with two goals as the Golden Bears clinched a spot in the PSAC playoffs.
Kutztown (15-1, 6-1 PSAC) controlled much of the offensive action against East Stroudsburg (13-3, 5-2 PSAC), outshooting the Warriors 22-5 and putting 15 shots on cage while earning a 12-6 advantage in penalty corners. However, ESU's goalkeepers kept the contest tight, combining for 12 saves with six apiece. Kutztown's Lorelai Lehenky (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) recorded two saves as the Golden Bears navigated a hard-fought matchup between two of the nation's top teams.
East Stroudsburg struck first at the 10-minute mark of the opening quarter, but the Maroon and Gold wasted little time responding. Just 1:26 later, Traynor battled in front of the goal and found the back of the cage at 11:26 to even the score at 1-1.
The Warriors regained the advantage at 26:09, converting a penalty stroke to take a 2-1 lead into halftime.
Kutztown answered in the third quarter as Traynor scored for the second time, redirecting a deflection off her sister, sophomore Julia Traynor (Pennsburg, Pa./Upper Perkiomen), to knot the score at 2-2. Freshman Anna Harris (Reston, Va./South Lakes) then delivered the game-winner at 39:19, redirecting a lifted shot from junior Ellie Myers (Denver, Pa./Cocalico) into the top of the cage to give Kutztown a 3-2 lead.
The victory clinched a PSAC playoff berth for the Golden Bears, who enter the final stretch of the regular season ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II. Kutztown has two games remaining, beginning with Senior Day on Saturday, Oct. 31, against Frostburg State at 1 p.m. at Andre Reed Stadium. KU will then travel to Bloomsburg on Friday, Nov. 6 at 1 p.m. to finish out the regular season.
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