Box Score
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Melissa McKeary and Sarah Oswald scored two minutes apart in the second half to help unranked West Chester come from behind to defeat No. 9 Kutztown, 2-1, on the road in a pivotal PSAC Eastern Division showdown on a chilly Wednesday afternoon at Keystone Field.
The Golden Rams (5-1, 4-1 PSAC East) extended their winning streak to four games while being scored upon for just the second time all year. Kutztown (4-1-1, 2-1-1) slipped into a tie for second place in the league standings behind West Chester, suffering its first loss of the season.
The Bears’ Chelsea Bressler put the hosts on top 1-0 in the 36th minute when she banged home a rebound of a shot from outside the penalty area that hit off the crossbar and ricocheted right to her. That tally ended a string of 331 consecutive scoreless minutes for West Chester freshman goalkeeper Lyndsie Bernardini.
“I think (Kutztown’s) goal caught us off guard a little bit,” West Chester head coach Betty Ann Kempf Townsley said. “Their player hit a really nice ball from about 30 yards out that hit the crossbar and bounced right to (Bressler).
“In the second half, we made some adjustments and tried to change the point of attack. We did a really nice job of keeping possession of the ball and playing in their third of the field. I think Lyndsie only touched the ball once in the second half.”
Bernardini finished with four saves, earning her fifth win of the season. Alyssa Hackelberg made two saves for Kutztown.
McKeary knotted things up in the 66th minute with her first college goal. Then, all-league forward Oswald got free two minutes later for second game-winning goal of the season.
Kutztown entered the game as the top-ranked team in the Atlantic Region by the NSCAA. The Bears were also ninth in the country. West Chester entered fifth in the region and unranked nationally. However, that does not phase third-year mentor Kempf Townsley.
“I have high expectations every year,” Kempf Townsley explained. “But, I think this team is beginning to understand what we are trying to do tactically.”
West Chester has only allowed two goals in its six soccer games this fall. The Rams have outshot their opponent 96-31 and hold a 31-15 advantage in corner kicks. West Chester returns home on Saturday to take on East Stroudsburg at 1 p.m. on South Campus. The Warriors enter ranked fourth in the region and among others receiving votes nationally.
