KUTZTOWN

Local residents

on soccer team

Kutztown University will have 35 student-athletes including Jocelyn Fowler of Orefield and Aristea Gougoustamos of Allentown representing its women’s soccer program for the 2024 season.

The Kutztown University women’s soccer team looks to eclipse last season’s success in 2024 after showing their strength at both the conference and regional levels of play.

For the Golden Bears, greater success means winning championships, and they were one step from reaching that a season ago.

Last year’s squad ended the season with a 15-2-5 overall record, including an undefeated regular season, while their 12-0-4 record in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference was their first undefeated conference season in program history.

Kutztown defeated teams in PSAC (Bloomsburg) and NCAA Regional (Concord) postseason competition, but they fell in the second rounds to Gannon (PSAC) and West Chester (NCAA Regionals) to finish their season.

Kutztown faces a challenge at the top of the PSAC, as conference rivals West Chester and Gannon advanced further than Kutztown in NCAA Regional play.

The PSAC Preseason Poll gave the Golden Bears three of the possible nine first-place votes in the East Division. West Chester was voted first in the division and received five first-place votes, while Gannon was tabbed as the top team in the West and received six out of eight first-place votes.

The Golden Bears opened their slate at home, hosting 2023 NCAA Regional qualifier, Concord, on Sept. 5 and then took on No. 20 Charleston on Sept. 7, both at Keystone Field.