The Huskies field hockey team fell to PSAC East opponent Kutztown University, 2-1 marking the squad's first loss in its last 18 games during a night home game on Monday night.
Huskies' forward, Breann Tobin, scored for the fifth time this season early in the first half (4:18) to put Bloom ahead, but Kutztown (2-0) added two unanswered goals. The go-ahead found the back of the Huskies' net with just under 11 minutes left in the game.
"We are everyone's best game, every team wants to come out and beat us," Coach Jan Hutchinson said, explaining how motivated opponents are to play against the Huskies, who are the three-time defending NCAA DII National Champions and ranked first in this year's national preseason poll by Kookaburra/NFHCA.
"We definitely thought they would come out and play hard against us," Senior forward Maggey Bloskey said, not surprised by Kutztown's aggressive and physical play.
The Golden Bears played sound defense and held the usually potent Husky offense to just three shots in the second half, while Kutztown goalie Emily Falko recorded six saves in the game.
"They were stepping to the ball," Coach Jan Hutchinson said about the aggressive play of the opposition's defense. The team wasn't able to score as easily as it had in its previous wins this season, when the Huskies outscored opponents 19-0.
The Huskies had their share of opportunities to get the ball in the net, including two penalty corners with less than 10 seconds left in the game. Midfielder Chelsea Due had four shots and forward Ashley Miller contributed two shots, as the Huskies' offensive attack came up short against the Golden Bears.
"We just couldn't get it in tonight," Bloskey said, "It just wasn't going our way. We know the things that we need to work on, maybe this was something to show us that we really do need to work on these things."
The Husky defense did all it could to slow down the long balls the Golden Bears sent flying from their side of the field to start breakaways for their forwards. Goalie Caitlin Koczynski made two key saves in the game to keep the score close.
"It was a fast-paced game," Hutchinson, last year's NFHCA Division II Coach of the Year said, "We need to use this to get better. We need to come back from this and finish top two in our division to get into the postseason." Hutchinson also spoke of the need for the team to regroup and refocus.
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