WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Sunday’s West Chester vs. Ursinus field hockey match will be more than just a inter-divisional matchup between old rivals that dates back well before women’s intercollegiate athletics was formally organized. Sunday marks the dedication of Vonnie Gros Field in honor of the legendary former head coach of both field hockey and women’s lacrosse at West Chester University.
“This weekend marks one of the longest standing continuous collegiate field hockey matches in the country,” stated current Golden Rams head coach Kathy Krannebitter. “The West Chester-Ursinus field hockey game is a rivalry that goes back well into the 1940's. The match continues to live true to form with two of the last three matches being played to overtime.”
To highlight the Eleanor Snell Cup further, West Chester will honor Gros with a field dedication ceremony earlier in the morning before the contest and acknowledge the long-time mentor before the game as well. Those festivities kick off a year-long celebration of 50 years of women’s athletics at West Chester University.
“The ties and bonds these two school share run very deep and their histories are woven tightly,” Krannebitter added. “It is only fitting that we honor Vonnie Gros on the day of the WCU-Ursinus game.”
Sunday’s tilt marks the 28th annual Eleanor Snell Cup handed out to the winner of the West Chester vs. Ursinus field hockey match. The Golden Rams hold a slim 13-11-3 advantage in those contests. However, the Bears have won five of the last six in the series to narrow the gap. West Chester holds a 22-21-9 lead in the overall series that dates back to the beginning of intercollegiate women’s athletics at WCU.
Ursinus enters the fray ranked sixth in the country at the Division III level. West Chester is coming off a near upset of No. 11 Penn State at home last Saturday and looking to halt a three-game losing streak on the season.
West Chester and Ursinus played for the first three AIAW national championships back in 1976, 1977 and again in 1978 with the Golden Rams coming out on top each time. That was before the NCAA split into three divisions in the early 1980s to create a more level playing field in collegiate athletics.
The West Chester-Ursinus game has gone to overtime 11 times, including the 1975 national championship game. The Golden Rams hold a 5-4-2 advantage in OT contests, but have not won an overtime affair with the Bears since 2000 – having dropped the last three OT events. The last time these two schools played to a tie was 1991.
Krannebitter and her charges are looking to snap a two-game home losing streak to Ursinus as well on Sunday. The Golden Rams have not beaten the Bears on their own home turf since 2001 (4-1). Krannebitter is 12-9-3 all-time in her career against Ursinus.
