Box Score
Box Score
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Jen Hutchinson finished off a pass from Melissa McKeary with two minutes left in the first overtime, lifting host West Chester to a 2-1 victory over visiting Slippery Rock on a rain-soaked South Campus Field Tuesday afternoon.
West Chester (11-0-1, 8-0-1 PSAC) remained unbeaten on the season and extended its lead in the league standings with the win. Slippery Rock (7-4-1, 4-4-1), playing its second straight overtime contest, nearly pulled off the upset with a great second-half effort.
The Rock took a 1-0 advantage when Emer Flatley converted a penalty kick in the 67th minute. Slippery Rock controlled much of the tempo in the second half, applying pressure to West Chester’s defense nearly the entire time, which was a complete role reversal from the first half when the host Rams seemed to be very much in control.
However, with The Rock pushing forward looking for that knockout punch, West Chester’s Cara Deola delivered the counter blow with a long ball up the far sideline that McKeary ran down and walked in uncontested on the goalkeeper. She buried the shot in the far left side of the net with 11 minutes remaining to knot the score and send the game into overtime. It was McKeary’s seventh goal of the season.
In the extra session, the skies opened up and rain came pouring down. The Golden Rams took advantage of a 2-on-1 break with two minutes left in the first OT period when McKeary gained control of the ball at the top of the box and pushed a pass over to Hutchinson, who one-timed a blast into the left side of the net for the game-winner. It was her fourth goal of the season.
Shannon Fedyk (11-0-1) made four saves in goal for West Chester, which learned it moved up two spots to No. 2 in the National Soccer Coaches’ Association of American (NSCAA) Continental Tire college rankings earlier in the day. That is the highest West Chester has ever been ranked in women’s soccer history. The Rams were ranked No. 2 in the country in both 2006 and 2008.
West Florida, which is ranked No. 1 in the country as a result of the latest polls released on Tuesday, lost Monday evening to No. 7 Armstrong Atlantic.
