MILLERSVILLE, Pa. — In a non-conference matchup against the defending Division II champions, the Marauders fell to the Kutztown Golden Bears 2–1. Millersville is now 3–3 heading into conference play.
 
It was a low-event fare in the in the first quarter of play, but the Golden Bears were able to generate a couple of quality looks for the game's first handful of chances. Kutztown struck first close to the halfway mark of the period, as Mia Simpson had the ball close to the goal line and to the right of the cage, centering it for a crashing Megan Doyle who slammed the one-timer home to put the Golden Bears in front. The Marauders nearly evened the game late in the first as Emma Ruley drew a penalty stroke, but Caitlin Wassermann's attempt was stopped by Kutztown goalkeeper Mia Kepler to keep the score 1–0 after the first 15 minutes.
 
Millersville pushed in the second quarter, creating pressure and some chances at a game-tying goal. About six minutes in, the Marauders had three penalty corners, ending in a blocked and saved shot taken by Wassermann before Kutztown was able to clear and transition up the field. Despite each team getting two penalty cards, neither was able to create a chance with the extra space on the field, going into halftime with the score still standing 1–0.
 
The Golden Bears came out of the break pushing, creating a couple of looks at a second goal. Kutztown had the first three shots of the half, but Koons stood tall, making two key stops to keep the deficit at one. The Marauders hung around, finally breaking through at the midway mark of the third quarter. Off a penalty corner, Morgan Lennon received the pass, shoveling it to her left to Wassermann. The graduate student fired a shot towards the net, where freshman Emily Baum had her stick at the right place for her first collegiate goal. Kutztown fought back and forced the Marauders to defend their net, but they were up to the task, blocking a flurry of shots to keep the game locked at 1–1 heading into the fourth quarter.
   
It was a hectic period in the fourth, with each team coming close to leaving with a regulation win. Kutztown got the first looks of the quarter, but Kerstin Koons would shut down the Golden Bears to keep the Marauders in it. Minutes later, a shot from Saige Shine would be stopped, and another shot went in the net, but off a Millersville foot negating the look. Kutztown applied pressure late with Millersville picking up two cards towards the end of regulation. The Golden Bears best chance down the stretch came off a penalty corner, as Greenleigh McGehee got all of it on a chance from inside the arc, but Koons hit the turf to stop it and force overtime.
 
Kutztown nearly ended the game 40 seconds in when Juliana Donato had time and space, but the shot went wide to give the Marauders life. Emily Buss had some space in transition, cutting to the middle, regaining possession to the right of the net, and drew a penalty corner. The first corner made it to Wassermann, whose shot was blocked, but led to another corner. Wassermann settled the insert outside of the arc and fired it towards traffic, where Emma Ruley came close to winning the game, but her redirect went wide. A little over a minute later, a turnover near midfield led to a two-on-one for Kutztown, as Erin Gonzalez executed the advantage perfectly to tee up Jessica Traynor for the game-winning goal.  
 
The Marauders will kick off their conference play in their next game at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28 against the Indiana Crimson Hawks in Indiana, Pa.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Wassermann led the Marauders in shot attempts with four, as well on shots on goal with two. Donato had a game-high five shots.
• Kutztown had the advantage in shots with a 17–7 lead and put seven on target to Millersville's four.
• Penalty corners were near even, with Kutztown leading 8–7, while the Marauders got the lone penalty stroke of the game.

 
POSTGAME REACTION FROM HEAD COACH SHELLY BEHRENS

• Opening thoughts on the game: "That was a typical PSAC game. We're really proud of our kids going against a really great opponent in Kutztown. I'm excited for us because we keep getting better and will continue to do so. We took some leaps today, and I loved the fight I saw. We need to convert some more chances, but that's the difference right now. We're one away.
• On the message to the team: "We're super proud of the kids. I really think this is one of the more traditional Millersville teams we've had here in some time. We may not have gotten the result, but I'm proud of our effort. I thought we picked it up in the second half, and we had chances, but that's the game and let's live to fight another day.
• On how the team prepared with the schedule break: "I thought it served us well because we really dug in on details. I saw those details come through tonight. Everything from our individual defense to our strikers played really well tonight. It was nice to get Megan Alvarez back and some more people on the field. At one point in time, we had five freshmen on the field, and that says a lot about the personnel we have, being able to rotate and give people breaks.