KUTZTOWN, Pa. - Millersville's late first-half goal was not enough to top Kutztown, as the Golden Bears notched the equalizer to end play in a 1-1 draw.
Millersville sits in fourth place in the PSAC East standings, and a tie against second-place Kutztown helped them earn a point, placing them comfortably in the PSAC East mix.
Sabrina Zimmerman was active in net. She encountered six shots in the first half to keep a clean slate for the Marauders. The lone Marauder goal came from a joint team effort. Millersville pushed up the field as a unit and earned a corner kick. The ball was serviced in, and off a Golden Bear mis-touch, Lia Francis floated the ball over Cassidy Howes' head to take the late 1-0 lead going into halftime.
The Golden Bears knocked on the door as a cross was sent into the box for a shot, but Francis blocked the ball high and wide, resulting in a Kutztown corner kick. Off this opportunity, Katelyn Economopoulos sent the ball into the box, and Bridget Curtis charged in and headed into the net to neutralize the score, 1-1.
With 22 minutes remaining, a poor pass from a Marauder sent Zimmerman and Golden Bear Caroline McDonald in a race for the ball. McDonald reached it first, Zimmerman tried to poke it away but tripped McDonald and herself. She was given a red card and Millersville had to play a player down for the remainder of the match but held off the Golden Bears' attack to seal the 1-1 draw.
Millersville will stay on the road, traveling to Bloomsburg on Saturday, Oct. 19 for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Francis netted goal number four on the season.
- Zimmerman and Emma Moss combined for eight saves.
- Millersville generated three corners to Kutztown's six.
THOUGHTS FROM HEAD COACH MATT PROCOPIO:
- Thoughts on tonight's matchup: "It was a good game in the first half. But we struggled to start the second half and conceded off the corner which is something we cannot allow to happen. We got into a rhythm for a little bit and then the red card changed the game."
- Importance of scoring that first goal: "Scoring first is great but it means little if you can't hold or extend that lead. Dropping points from a winning position is not something we want to make a habit of."
- What you can take away from tonight: "We fought and showed our resilience to defend them for 20 minutes down a man. Our effort in that aspect was great."
- Mindset going to play Bloomsburg this weekend: "Lot of history against Bloom. We must be prepared, motivated, and well-disciplined."