Box Score

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Down two goals at halftime, East Stroudsburg University could not complete a spirited comeback attempt in a 2-1 defeat at No. 8 Kutztown on Wednesday.

The Warriors (10-5-1, 9-4-1) had a 12-6 shot advantage after the intermission, and they pulled within a goal on an 82nd minute header by sophomore Haley Skove, but the Golden Bears (13-2, 11-2) prevented them from finding an equalizer.

Jenna Bracken made seven saves in goal, all of which occurred in the final 45 minutes, to secure the win for Kutztown. The Golden Bears snapped a four-game losing streak to the Warriors, with two of those defeats coming in the most-recent PSAC tournaments.

Gabby Kane opened up the scoring for the home side 3:36 into the contest, putting in a cross into the box by Erica Monte Carlo. Kutztown doubled its advantage on a goal by Maddie Mohr in the 41st minute. ESU managed only three of the game's 14 shots in the first half.

The Warriors had much more of the ball after the break, earning all five of the half's corners in addition to doubling up Kutztown in shots. Junior Jules Sicker had an attempt go off the crossbar in the 54th minute, and she had one of three ESU shots on goal during a 53-second stretch shortly afterwards.

Bracken made three more saves in a span of 1:06 with just over 15 minutes remaining, as she turned aside two attempts by senior Alex Pickett and another by junior Monica Wood.

Skove finally ended the shutout bid with 8:41 left on the clock, as she headed in a cross by junior Jessica Woodbyrne for her fifth goal of the season. Skove is one back of Wood for the team lead, while Woodbyrne now ranks tied for second on the team with four assists on the year.

Kutztown held the Warriors without a shot for the remainder of the contest to hold on for a sixth-consecutive victory.

ESU, which has dropped two straight to nationally-ranked opponents, remains on the road for a 4:30 p.m. contest at Edinboro on Saturday.