THE DETAILS
#8 Bloomsburg (4-3, 0-0 PSAC) vs #5 Kutztown (6-2, 1-0 PSAC)
Wednesday, September 27, 2017 - 4:00 p.m.
Steph Pettit Stadium - Bloomsburg, Pa.

GAME COVERAGE
Live Stats - http://www.sidearmstats.com/bloomu/fhockey/

RELATED LINKS
Bloomsburg - Schedule | Roster | Statistics
Kutztown - Schedule | Roster | Statistics

STORYLINE
The Huskies will open conference action against Kutztown University on Wednesday afternoon. Bloomsburg enters the contest ranked eighth in the latest Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II poll while the Golden Bears, who won their conference opener against Seton Hill this past Saturday, jumped four spots and are ranked fifth.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Bloomsburg leads the all-time series against Kutztown, 54-7-3. Last season, the Huskies won the only meeting between the two schools - a 2-0 decision in Kutztown. Sam Peters (Harrisburg, Pa./Mifflin County) and Abby Sauder (Mount Joy, Pa./Donegal) scored first-half goals for Bloomsburg and Lindsay Cassel (Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin) did the rest by turning aside eight shots for the shutout.

RHOADS WATCH
Head coach Nikki Rhoads is in her eighth season as the head coach of the Huskies and is just two wins away from becoming the second coach in program history to reach 100 career victories. Rhoads has a career record of 98-46 as the Bloomsburg head coach and trails only legendary coach, Jan Hutchinson, in career wins at the school.

LAST TIME OUT FOR BOTH TEAMS
The Huskies have not played since last Wednesday, September 20, when they lost to Mansfield by a 1-0 final in overtime. Bloomsburg outshot the Mountaineers, 19-8, but could not solve Mansfield goalkeeper Brittany Ryan who made a dozen saves on the afternoon. Freshman Dana Sheply (Maple Shade, N.J./Maple Shade) stopped four shots in the loss.

Kutztown opened conference action this past Saturday with a 3-0 victory over visiting Seton Hill University. Kyra Wozniak scored a pair of first-half goals while Trinity Ponton added the Golden Bears' third tally of the day midway through the second half. Kutztown outshot Seton Hill, 23-9. Chardonnay Hope was credited with eight saves in the victory.
 
SCOUTING BLOOMSBURG
After starting the season with three consecutive wins, the Huskies have dropped three of their last four and enter Wednesday's contest with a 4-3 overall record. Despite scoring a total of three goals over the last three games, the Huskies still rank fourth in the PSAC in goals per game (3.43) but have dropped to eighth in the conference in goals against per game (1.71). Senior MacKenna Mahan (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) leads the Huskies in scoring with five goals and three assists for 13 points. She is tied for eighth in the PSAC in scoring and ranks tied for tenth in the league in goals. Mahan has already tied her career-high in goals and is just one point shy of tying her career-high of 14 points - both of which she established last season. Junior Abby Sauder (Mount Joy, Pa./Donegal) leads the team in goals (6) and is second in points (12), already setting new career-bests in both categories. She is tied for sixth in the PSAC in that department. In goal, freshman Dana Sheply (Maple Shade, N.J./Maple Shade) has seen all but 13 minutes of action this season. She is 4-3 with a 1.71 goals against average and a .707 save percentage.
 
SCOUTING KUTZTOWN
Kutztown enters the matchup on a two-game winning streak and comes in with a 6-2 overall record and a 1-0 mark in conference play. The Golden Bears are averaging 2.88 goals per game (fifth in the PSAC) and have only allowed a total of seven goals in eight games (0.88) which leads the PSAC in scoring defense. Kyra Wozniak (seven goals) and Trinity Ponton (six goals, two assists) lead the team in scoring with 14 points apiece. Wozniak is tied for third in the PSAC in goals while Ponton is tied for sixth. Both are tied for fourth in scoring. Wozniak is also tied for the PSAC lead with three game-winning goals. Chardonnay Hope has played every minute in goal and is 6-2 with a 0.88 goals against average and an .811 save percentage. She leads the PSAC in goals against average and shutouts (4) while ranking third in save percentage.

UP NEXT
The Huskies will head to second-ranked Shippensburg on Saturday, September 30 for a rematch with the Raiders. Start time is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.