SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – No. 13 Kutztown made history Thursday afternoon at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium, securing the program's first NCAA postseason victory with a commanding 12-8 win over No. 16 Wingate in the Atlantic Region quarterfinals.
The No. 4-seeded Golden Bears (15-6) trailed 2-1 during the first quarter but completely flipped the script in the second, building an 8-4 halftime lead and never looking back. The dynamic duo of
Lauren LaMorte (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) and
Maddie Wagner (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) led the offensive charge. LaMorte tallied a game high six points on five assists and a goal, while Wagner posted a game-high five goals, the pair combining for 11 points in the historic victory.
The win also ties Kutztown's program record with 15 victories in a season, matching the mark set in 2024. Both teams entered Thursday's matchup searching for their first NCAA postseason win in program history, with Kutztown emerging victorious in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Wingate drew first blood off a free-position conversion at 11:51, but Kutztown answered just over two minutes later when
Sammy Ruwet (Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional) found
Maddie Wagner (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) for the equalizer at 9:04. The Bulldogs (16-4) regained the lead at 4:54 with another free-position goal to go up 2-1, but
Alexis Plesic (Hanover, Pa./South Western) converted a free-position opportunity of her own at 3:37 to tie it at 2-2. Just over a minute later, LaMorte found
Isabella Montuori (Bohemia, N.Y./Connetquot) on the doorstep to give the Golden Bears their first lead at 2:13.
The second quarter belonged to Kutztown. Ruwet wasted no time, rolling the crease off a
Madison Wenner (Marmora, N.J./Ocean City) feed just 26 seconds in to make it 4-2. Montuori extended the lead to 5-2 at 13:05 off a Ruwet assist, and Wagner cushioned it further at 10:29 with a LaMorte helper to push the advantage to 6-2.
Katie Yocum (Hanover, Pa./South Western) buried a loose ball at 9:47 to make it 7-2 before Wingate finally broke through at 8:28. The Bulldogs added back-to-back goals, the second coming on yet another free-position conversion at 7:30, to cut the deficit to 7-4. But Plesic answered in the final minute, ripping a shot from the corner of the arc off a Montuori feed to send Kutztown into halftime with an 8-4 lead.
The third quarter saw over 10 minutes of scoreless play before LaMorte found Wagner in front of the goal at 4:55. Less than 20 seconds later, LaMorte added one of her own at 4:36 to extend the lead to 10-4. Wingate responded at 2:42 to cut it to 10-5, but Wagner struck again with just 13 seconds remaining in the quarter to push the advantage to 11-5 entering the final frame.
The fourth quarter showcased the brilliance of goalkeeper
Marisa Bragg (Ringoes, N.J./Hunterdon Central), who made four saves in the opening five minutes and five of her eight saves on the day in the quarter alone. After a Wingate timeout at 10:02, the Bulldogs scored at 9:42 to make it 11-6, but the dynamic duo struck again. Wagner tallied her fifth goal off LaMorte's fifth assist at 8:36 to push the lead to 12-6. Wingate added two late goals at 6:32 and 1:36 to cut the deficit, but the Golden Bears held strong to secure the historic 12-8 victory.
Despite being outshot 30-24, Kutztown made its opportunities count. The Golden Bears put 20 shots on frame compared to Wingate's 16 and assisted nine of their 12 goals compared to just three of eight for the Bulldogs. Wingate held advantages in free-position shots (8-4), ground balls (23-20), and draw controls (15-7), while saves (8-8) and caused turnovers (15-15) were even.
Kutztown now faces top-seeded Slippery Rock on Saturday, May 9, at 1 p.m. at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium in a rematch of the PSAC Championship, where the Bears fell 11-10 by a single goal. The winner will advance to the Atlantic Region Championship—the NCAA quarterfinals—on Saturday, May 16.
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