KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Frostburg State Field Hockey team fell to No. 2 Kutztown on the road Friday evening, dropping the contest with a 6-0 final.
 
Kutztown was able to start things right off the bat, earning two penalty corners in the first minute.  Off their second penalty corner, the Golden Bears were able to pass the ball around, setting themselves up for their first look at a score, slotting it into the back of the cage for a 1-0 lead just over a minute in.  KU was able to regain possession as the game continued, bolting down field for four consecutive shots, all that were knocked away by junior goalkeeper Zoe Barnes.  Kutztown sent their next try wide, finding themselves with shot after shot, before ripping another one in goal to advance their lead to 2-0.  The first quarter was all KU, as the Golden Bears received two more penalty corners, tallying another goal on their last try of the quarter, ending the first on top 3-0. 
 
KU took their momentum over to the second quarter, picking up two more corners and two more shots to kick off the second.  Sophomore Morgan Sparks racked up two huge defensive saves off both shots, keeping the score at 3-0.  Both teams saw back and forth play for the next few minutes, with neither team really setting anything up offensively.  With around three minutes left in the quarter, Frostburg found their first penalty corner of the game, sending sophomore Mikyla Rineer to insert.  The ball was swatted around, finding junior Paige Leitzel's stick, as she was able to send in a shot that was saved by Kutztown's keeper.  With around 30 seconds before the break, KU took another chance at goal, as Barnes racked up another save to send the game into the half with a 3-0 score. 
 
The Golden Bears swapped goalies to start the third, as after three minutes of play, Kutztown earned a penalty corner.  KU was able to keep possession off the corner, knotting another goal to increase their lead to 4-0.  Sophomore Ella Esham went into goal for FSU, seeing action in the first few seconds, knocking away a shot delivered in by Kutztown.  With around eight minutes left in the quarter, neither team was able to get off a shot as time winded out.  The Golden Bears set up for seven corners, but the Bobcat's defense didn't allow KU to get off any shots, allowing the game to read 4-0 heading into the fourth and final quarter. 
 
Both teams battled back and forth for the first two minutes of the fourth, before Kutztown was able to maneuver the ball around once more, tacking on another goal to their score.  KU kept their foot on the gas, maintaining possession for the next span of minutes.  The Golden Bears took another penalty corner, setting up the perfect play to slot another one in the back of the cage to increase their lead to 6-0.  With under 10 minutes left in regulation, neither team was unable to get anything going, until Frostburg earned a penalty corner with senior Olivia Wenzel inserting.  The Bobcats were unable to get anything out of it, ending the game with a 6-0 final in favor of Kutztown. 
 
In goal, Barnes finished with five saves, while Esham came up with one. 
 
With the loss, Frostburg drops to 4-7 on the season, while Kutztown improves to 10-1.  The Bobcats return to Bobcat Stadium for their next contest, hosting Indiana (Pa.) on Tuesday, October 15 at 5 PM.  For more information and updates, please visit frostburgsports.com.