KUTZTOWN, Pa. – No. 15 Kutztown had contributions from six different goal scorers, led by
Katie Yocum's (Hanover, Pa./South Western) four-goal performance, as the Golden Bears secured their second PSAC East win with a 13-6 victory over Millersville at Keystone Field Saturday afternoon.
A six-goal second quarter propelled Kutztown (6-3, 2-2 PSAC East) to control, and the Bears never looked back. Kutztown outscored the Marauders (3-4, 1-3 PSAC East) in every quarter while holding them to no more than two goals per frame, allowing just one in both the first and third. Defensively, the Bears limited Millersville to a season-low 15 shots in 60 minutes.
The victory carried added significance as Kutztown avenged last season's finale, a 10-4 loss to Millersville that eliminated the Golden Bears from PSAC Tournament play. This time, the result was decidedly different.
The first quarter was a low-scoring affair with just three goals. Yocum opened the scoring with the first of her four, followed by
Isabella Montuori's (Bohemia, N.Y./Connetquot) first tally to give Kutztown a 2-1 advantage.
The second quarter belonged to the Golden Bears. Montuori and Yocum each netted their second goals to extend the lead before a four-goal barrage in just over four minutes blew the game open.
Sophie Engelhardt (Hellertown, Pa./Saucon Valley) scored at 6:43, Yocum completed her hat trick at 3:33,
Madison Wenner (Marmora, N.J./Ocean City) struck at 2:49, and
Maddie Wagner (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) capped the surge at 2:19 to send the Bears into halftime with a commanding 8-3 lead.
Kutztown added five more in the second half. Wenner,
Alexis Plesic (Hanover, Pa./South Western) (two), Yocum, and Engelhardt found the back of the net to seal the dominant performance. Six of the Golden Bears' 13 goals came off assists, led by
Lauren LaMorte's (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) three helpers. The performance pushed LaMorte to 22 assists on the season, good for fifth all-time in Kutztown single-season history.
Of Millersville's 15 shots, just 11 found the frame.
Marisa Bragg (Ringoes, N.J./Hunterdon Central) made four saves in the first 50 minutes, and freshman
Camryn Storey (Hanover, Pa./South Western) added one in the final 10. Plesic led the Bears with four ground balls and three caused turnovers, while defender
Rowan Hall (Sloatsburg, N.Y./Suffern) stepped up in the draw circle, winning a game-high five draw controls—half of Kutztown's 10 total.
The complete offensive performance, 31 shots and balanced scoring, was backed by relentless defensive pressure. The Bears forced 10 turnovers, including multiple shot-clock violations, and won the ground ball battle with 20 scoops.
Kutztown begins a three-game road stretch next week, starting Wednesday with a PSAC East matchup at Bloomsburg at 2 p.m.
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