KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown women's soccer has been knocking on the door of a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship over the last few seasons, and the league coaches have selected KU as one of the top threats to claim the crown in 2026 as the Golden Bears were voted second in the PSAC East Division's preseason poll, announced Wednesday.
 
Kutztown enters the new campaign coming off a 13-6-1 overall season in 2025, where it ended as the PSAC runners-up for the second straight year. The Maroon and Gold have advanced to at least the final four of the conference tournament in each of the last three seasons and have qualified for the NCAA Tournament each of the last eight seasons under head coach Erik Burstein.
 
Seniors Maura Day (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Abington) and Corinne Morgan (Port Republic, N.J./Cedar Creek) lead the way for the Golden Bears. Day, the PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Year last season, was also recognized as an All-American by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA), just the 11th player in program history to garner the status. She finished tied for the lead in assists (10) in the PSAC. Morgan was voted an All-PSAC East First Teamer as a forward and earned All-Atlantic Region First Team recognition.
 
The PSAC East's top team at the conclusion of the regular season, West Chester, was picked as the favorites this season with seven of eight first place votes. Bloomsburg was selected third with the other first place vote. Two-time defending champion Shepherd was voted fourth, while Millersville came in at five. East Stroudsburg, Shippensburg and Mansfield round out the final eight teams from the East.
 
Kutztown begins its 2026 regular season in a little over two weeks with two games in three days in West Virginia. KU's season opener is set for Friday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m., at the University of Charleston. That Sunday, Aug. 30, the Golden Bears are at West Virginia State at 1 p.m. The home opener is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 9, against East Stroudsburg at 7 p.m., from Keystone Field.