BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Four different Golden Bears found the back of the cage as top-ranked Kutztown closed out its regular season with a 4-1 victory over No. 6 Bloomsburg on Friday afternoon.
Kutztown finished the regular season with a 17-1 overall record and an 8-1 mark in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Huskies (12-5, 5-4 PSAC)Â struck first at 17:00 to take a 1-0 lead. However, the Golden Bears responded with four unanswered goals. Sophomore Bree Zoccolo (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) evened the score at 1-1 with an unassisted goal at 24:44 before junior Taylor Vaccaro (Oley, Pa./Oley Valley) found the back of the cage at 30:00 to give KU a 2-1 advantage heading into halftime.
Junior Ellie Myers (Denver, Pa./Cocalico) extended the Golden Bears' lead in the third quarter, scoring an unassisted goal at 33:27. Myers finished the regular season ranked third in the PSAC with 14 goals.
Senior Rachel Galasso (Sweet Valley, Pa./Lake Lehman) capped the scoring at 44:09, converting on a penalty corner with an assist from Vaccaro to secure the 4-1 victory.
Junior goalkeeper Lorelai Lehenky (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) recorded eight saves in the matchup and finished the regular season as the PSAC's top goalkeeper, allowing just six goals through 18 games while posting an 85.5% save percentage.
Kutztown placed 14 of its 21 shots on goal, while Bloomsburg put nine of its 11 attempts on target. The Golden Bears also held a 12-4 advantage in penalty corners.
With the regular season complete, Kutztown advances directly to the PSAC Tournament semifinals after earning a first-round bye. Shippensburg, East Stroudsburg, IUP, Bloomsburg and West Chester also qualified for the postseason. The Golden Bears will face an opponent to be determined in the semifinals.Â
