KUTZTOWN, Pa. – No. 1 Kutztown field hockey remained perfect Saturday, opening PSAC play with a 4-0 victory over No. 7 IUP at Andre Reed Stadium.
The Golden Bears (10-0, 1-0 PSAC) controlled play from the opening whistle, with senior Rachel Galasso (Sweet Valley, Pa./Lake Lehman), junior Marissa Rice (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) and junior goalkeeper Lorelai Lehenky (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) leading the way.
Kutztown wasted no time finding the back of the cage. Galasso scored just 23 seconds into the contest, converting a penalty corner off an assist from junior Taylor Vaccaro (Oley, Pa./Oley Valley). Sophomore Bree Zoccolo (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) helped create the early opportunity, breaking up IUP's (6-2, 0-1 PSAC)Â opening possession and putting the Golden Bears in position to attack.
Galasso and Rice then connected twice on penalty corners in the opening half. Galasso recorded the initial shot on both plays, with Rice finishing on each at 6:47 and 10:39 to give KU a 3-0 advantage.
Zoccolo added to the Golden Bears' lead at 33:05, deflecting a shot off the IUP goalkeeper's pads and into the top of the cage to make it 4-0.
Lehenky continued her perfect start to the season in goal, stopping both shots she faced to preserve her 1.000 save percentage, which leads the NCAA DII. The Maroon and Gold finished with a 14-4 advantage in shots, including a 7-2 edge in shots on goal. The Golden Bears also held an 8-5 advantage in penalty corners.
Kutztown continues PSAC play Wednesday, hosting Millersville at Andre Reed Stadium at 7 p.m.
