KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Bloomsburg women's lacrosse team dropped a PSAC East matchup on the road to No. 15 Kutztown, 20-5, on Wednesday afternoon at Keystone Field.
Kutztown opened the game with a decisive first-quarter run, scoring four goals in the opening seven minutes to take early control. Alexis Plesic and Katie Yocum each scored twice during the stretch, capitalizing on early possessions to build a 4-0 lead. Bloomsburg responded midway through the quarter as
Alexis Guzylak (Corning, N.Y./Horseheads) finished a feed from
Marykate Sitko (Pennsburg, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) to get the Huskies on the board.
The Golden Bears answered immediately with back-to-back goals to extend the margin to 6-1, but the Huskies closed the quarter with a positive push.
Kayla Stressman (Harleysville, Pa./North Penn) converted a free-position opportunity in the final minute to trim the deficit to 6-2 heading into the second.
Bloomsburg carried momentum into the second quarter, as
Reiley Knize (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) scored early to make it a three-goal game at 6-3. Kutztown, however, responded with its most decisive stretch of the afternoon. The Golden Bears rattled off a 7-0 run over the next eight minutes, with Yocum leading the surge and adding multiple goals during the span to push the lead to 13-3 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Kutztown extended its run with another goal before Sitko broke through for Bloomsburg, scoring unassisted to stop the momentum and make it 14-4. The Golden Bears closed the quarter with two more goals, including a man-up score, to take a 16-4 lead into the final period.
Sitko struck again early in the fourth quarter, converting a free-position chance to account for her second goal of the game and provide a bright spot for the Huskies. Kutztown responded with a late 4-0 run, capped by three straight goals from Sammy Ruwet, to close out the 20-5 final.
Sitko led Bloomsburg with two goals and an assist while also controlling six draws and adding four ground balls in an all-around effort. Guzylak, Stressman, and Knize each added a goal for the Huskies. Defensively,
Emily Graham (Wantagh, N.Y./St. Anthony's) totaled five saves and three ground balls, while the Huskies held a slight edge in draw controls, 14-13, against one of the top teams in the conference.
The Huskies close out the regular season on Saturday when they travel to Millersville for a 12:00 p.m. contest.
