Trio of Golden Bears Win Major Awards, Six Named to All-PSAC East First Team from KU Women's Soccer

The Kutztown University women's soccer team racked up a plethora of conference awards Tuesday afternoon. Bridget Curtis (Warrington, Pa./Central Bucks South) was named the PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Year, Katelyn Economopoulos (Grantville, Pa./Lower Dauphin) the PSAC East Freshman of the Year, and Erik Burstein the PSAC East Coach of the Year. Along with that, Curtis, Economopoulos, Dana Wentz (Lancaster, Pa./Conestoga Valley), Caroline McDonald (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East), Lexy Endres (Medford, N.J./Shawnee), and Cassandra Baker (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) were named to the All-PSAC East First Team.

All the awards and honors come after the program's first unbeaten season in program history en route to the No. 1 seed in the PSAC East. The six Golden Bears named to the All-PSAC East First Team is the most in program history, with the previous best being four in 2005 and 2018.

Bridget Curtis (Warrington, Pa./Central Bucks South) is the second-ever Golden Bear to be named PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Year, joining Jenna Bracken back in 2018. The junior from Warrington has been nothing short of spectacular on the field in 2023. Curtis started in every game this season for KU, contributing to 12 shutouts, the third-most in a season in program history. She also netted a career-high five goals this season, three of which were game-winners. One of those game-winners earned her a PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week nod back on Oct. 16. Already one of the most decorated defenders in program history, it's also the third All-PSAC East First Team honor for Curtis in her three seasons in the Maroon & Gold.

Katelyn Economopoulos (Grantville, Pa./Lower Dauphin) becomes the fourth player in program history to win the conference's Freshman of the Year award. The Grantville native burst onto the scene in 2023, netting a seven goals and four assists, the second most on KU in both stats. Her most notable performance came on Sept. 13, when she scored two goals and notched an assist in a dominating 3-0 victory over then-12th-ranked West Chester. That earned her a PSAC East Athlete of the Week honor. Ever since that performance, Economopoulos became a mainstay in the starting eleven and one of the best attacking midfielders in the PSAC.

The last major award winner for KU is head coach Erik Burstein, who captured his third career coach of the year award and the fourth in program history. Under Burstein's watch, the Golden Bears have become a nationally acclaimed program over the last 16 seasons, with this regular season possibly being his best one yet. This season was KU's 21st consecutive season with 10 or more wins.

As previously mentioned, Caroline McDonald (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East), Lexy Endres (Medford, N.J./Shawnee), Dana Wentz (Lancaster, Pa./Conestoga Valley), and Cassandra Baker (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) were the other Golden Bears to be named to the All-PSAC East First Team alongside Curtis and Economopoulos. McDonald had a great freshman campaign and followed it up with even more success in her second season in the Maroon & Gold. The Exton native led KU with 22 points on the season, netting six goals and ten assists in the regular season. Her ten assists are the fourth-best in the PSAC and are tied for the third most in a season in program history. McDonald's best performance came in a 3-0 win against Shepherd, where two goals and an assist earned her PSAC East Athlete of the Week honors. It's her first career All-PSAC East First Team nod after making the second team last season.

Lexy Endres' (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) second season in the Maroon and Gold was nothing short of spectacular, as the senior finished the season a team-high seven goals. The Medford, N.J. native was on fire to start the season, racking up 10 points (5 goals) in the first four games of the season. Endres earned a PSAC East Athlete of the Week after her performances against Charleston (W. Va.) and Concord to open the season. She also scored the first goal, which was the game winner, in KU's PSAC Quarterfinal win over Bloomsburg on Monday. It's the first career All-PSAC nod for the former Temple transfer.

Dana Wentz (Lancaster, Pa./Conestoga Valley) started at fullback for all 19 games this season, helping contribute to a defense that only allowed 7 goals all season, the best in the PSAC. Wentz, along with Curtis and the underclassmen duo of sophomore Skyler Jordan (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth) and freshman Maura Day (Huntington Valley, Pa./Abington) were lock down almost every game they hit the field this season. Wentz also recorded an assist in the Golden Bears' first win of the season against Concord on Sept. 2. It's the senior's first All-PSAC First Team nod after previously being named to the second team last season.

Cassandra Baker (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) was the backstop of the KU backline for the majority of the season. The senior started in 17 games, allowing only six goals against with a 0.357 goals-against average in over 1,400 minutes of action. Her goals-against-average is not only first in the PSAC, but the best in program history (min. 900 minutes). Her 10 clean sheets are also the best in the PSAC and the fourth-most in a season program history. The Harrisburg native made a season-high seven saves against Bloomsburg on Oct. 25, which earned her a PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Week honor. It's her first ever All-PSAC nod.

After the Golden Bears' PSAC Quarterfinal victory over Bloomsburg Monday night, the PSAC Tournament semifinals and final will take place at Keystone Field this weekend. KU will face off against Gannon in the PSAC Semifinal on Friday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. The other semifinal between Mercyhurst and West Chester will take place at 3 p.m. that same day. The PSAC Championship game will take place on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 1 p.m.