Box Score
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Sarah Oswald’s sliding kick with just over one minute left to play in regulation lifted No. 13 West Chester to a 1-0 victory over visiting Shippensburg in a wild finish to its women’s soccer match on a sun-drenched South Campus Saturday afternoon.
West Chester (2-1, 1-1 PSAC East) evened its record in conference play with the win. Shippensburg (0-3, 0-1 PSAC East) is still in search of its first win of the year after dropping its conference opener.
Oswald’s first goal of the season came off a counterattack from Shippensburg in the waning moments of the contest. The Raiders’ Gayle Kuntzman dribbled into the penalty area along the far-side end line and fired a shot that ricocheted off the near post right to teammate Amanda Greenawalt. Her attempt then smacked off the crossbar and came right back to her foot, when she fired again, this time hitting a West Chester defender in front.
The Golden Rams collected the rebound and forwarded the ball ahead to Courtney Silbert, who then sent Oswald down the far sideline for her game-winner.
“I think our strength during the Bloomsburg game was our counterattack,” West Chester head coach Betty Ann Kempf Townsley said. “I thought it would be just a matter of time. We were doing the right things, offensively. Finally, it came through for us in the final two minutes.”
Freshman goalkeeper Lyndsie Bernardini earned her second shutout in three games and has allowed just one goal all season. She made three saves while teammate Brittany Couper was “Johnny-on-the-spot” in the second half and blocked a shot with her body.
“Couper’s positioning on the opposite side was perfect,” Kempf Townsley noted. “She was in the right spot for that service to the far side.”
Shippensburg’s senior goalkeeper Beth Long was credited with nine saves in the heartbreaking loss.
West Chester returns to the South Campus Soccer Field on Tuesday afternoon for a 4:30 p.m. match with PSAC East rival Millersville.
