PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – No. 20 Kutztown battled No. 8 Pace stride-for-stride through 30 minutes Saturday afternoon at Northwell Stadium, but the Setters pulled away in the second half to hand the Golden Bears their first loss of the season, 12-8.
The highly anticipated matchup lived up to its billing early. Pace (2-0) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening eight minutes before
Lauren LaMorte (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) got Kutztown on the board with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter, finishing a feed from
Alexis Plesic (Hanover, Pa./South Western) to make it 2-1 heading into the second.
The Golden Bears (2-1) came out firing in the second quarter. LaMorte forced a turnover that
Sophie Engelhardt (Hellertown, Pa./Saucon Valley) scooped up and converted at 12:51 to tie the game. Less than two minutes later, Engelhardt set up
Maddie Wagner (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) to give Kutztown its first lead of the day at 3-2.
The final three minutes of the half turned into a back-and-forth affair with three goals scored. Pace netted two to reclaim the lead before
Katie Yocum (Hanover, Pa./South Western) answered with eight seconds remaining, taking a pass from
Isabella Montuori (Bohemia, N.Y./Connetquot) to send the teams into halftime knotted at 4-4.
The third quarter proved pivotal as Pace outscored Kutztown 3-1 to take a 7-5 advantage. Yocum provided the Bears' lone goal with 1:34 left in the frame, but the Setters carried a two-goal cushion into the final period.
The fourth quarter saw both teams trading blows, but Pace extended its lead early with two goals in the opening 1:03 to go up 9-5. Yocum completed her hat trick on a free-position goal at 10:42 to cut the deficit, but the Setters answered with two more to maintain their four-goal advantage.
Kutztown refused to go quietly.
Madison Wenner (Marmora, N.J./Ocean City) scored with 5:08 remaining, and Montuori added another off an Engelhardt feed with 1:44 to play, but Pace added a final tally with four seconds left to secure the 12-8 victory.
Despite the loss, there were standout performances for the Golden Bears. Reigning PSAC East Co-Defensive Athlete of the Week
Marisa Bragg (Ringoes, N.J./Hunterdon Central) was exceptional in the cage, recording a career-high 15 saves, besting her previous best of 14 against Bentley in 2025. The senior turned away six shots in the first quarter alone.
Senior defender
Rowan Hall (Sloatsburg, N.Y./Suffern) led the defensive effort with game-highs in both caused turnovers (5) and ground balls (3).
Pace held advantages in shots (34-21) and shots on goal (24-9), as well as draw controls (15-7). Wenner paced Kutztown in the circle with three draw controls.
The Golden Bears continue their schedule Thursday, March 5, facing No. 22 Saint Anselm at the University of Saint Joseph in the first game of their spring break trip.
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