The Kutztown University field hockey team earned the program’s first-ever NCAA Division II Field Hockey National Championship after a 2-1 victory over defending champion East Stroudsburg on Sunday afternoon.

The Golden Bears struck in the 52nd minute from a penalty corner, as a quality insert led to a powerful shot and another rebound that was redirected in by Northwestern graduate Greenleigh McGehee for her third - but most important - goal of the season.

Kutztown found itself trailing just three minutes into the game, but fought back to tie it late in the third quarter and take the lead for good in the fourth quarter with just eight minutes left in the game.

The Golden Bears were making their first appearance in the NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championship Game since the 1997 season, when the program was the runner-up.

East Stroudsburg’s Lia Parker gave her team an early lead, just three minutes into the game, off a penalty corner insert from Grace Lesh.

The score remained 1-0 until Kutztown earned a two-player advantage thanks to a pair of Warrior cards with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter. After a scramble in front of the cage, Jillian Buchman rolled in a rebound off of ESU goalkeeper Amy Supey to tie the game up, 1-1.

Kutztown needed to do some frantic defending down the stretch against the defending champion Warriors, but the Golden Bears held on to secure the win and claim the 2023 National Championship.

In addition to McGehee, 2022 Times News Field Hockey Player of the Year and former Tiger Brinley Rex also plays for the Golden Bears. Former Lehighton standout and 2017 TN Field Hockey Player of the Year Maura Phelan also plays for Kutztown as a graduate student after a stellar career at American University.