KUTZTOWN, Pa. - The No. 10 Mansfield Mountaineer field hockey team (9-5, 3-2 PSAC) battled the defending national champion No. 2 Kutztown (10-3, 4-2 PSAC) in a highly contested nationally ranked Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) contest on Sat. (Oct. 19) afternoon, knocking off the Golden Bears in shocking fashion, claiming a 2-1 road victory.

For the first 15 minutes, the two nationally ranked opponents battled to a quiet stat sheet, with the only shot tallied in the early quarter by the Golden Bears. Kutztown earned two penalty corners, but their only challenge was stopped easily by August Lewis.

An emphatic first minute into the second quarter caused disruption for the host. Two penalty corners and two shots led to Jenna Duke scoring the first goal of the game, setting the tone for this highly anticipated chance for the Mounties.

Kutztown looked to even the scoring, before the end of the half, including three penalty corners with a minute and a half remaining, but the Mountaineer defense held strong to take the 1-0 lead into the locker rooms.

Four penalty corners by the Golden Bears opened the second half but no conversion led to a breakaway chance for Mansfield, which led to Ashtyn Price doubling the scoring for the Mounties, with an assist from Duke to shock the home crowd in a 2-0 advantage for the No. 10 Mountaineers.

The Golden Bears tried to pry away a chance to hit the back of the cage, but Lewis and the Mountie defensive trio of Olivia Kline, Sophia Vadnais, and Regan Fiorito stopped two penalty corners and two shots on goal to keep the shutout heading into the final quarter.

To make this PSAC contest exciting, Kutztown delivered their first score of the afternoon, with a tapper into the cage with ten minutes remaining in the contest.

Mansfield peppered Kutztown with three shots right after from Katie Marchiani, Melanie Esh, and Amanda Duke.

In the final six minutes, the Golden Bears held control with multiple shots and penalty corners, but the Mounties earned their second win over the nationally ranked Golden Bears in three years, winning 2-1.

UP NEXT:  
Mansfield continues their last three road contests as the team travels to IUP on Wednesday, October 23. This conference clash will be under the lights, starting at 7 p.m.