Box Score ERIE, Pa. - Three different goal scorers lifted top-ranked West Chester University to a 3-0 victory over host and ninth-ranked Mercyhurst University Wednesday afternoon in a PSAC field hockey contest.
West Chester (15-2, 12-1 PSAC) remains atop the conference standings as a result of the win with just one regular-season game left on the schedule. Mercyhurst (9-8, 7-6) still remains alive for a postseason conference tournament berth.
Alayna Brown (Tedford, Pa./Souderton) knocked home a rebound in the 12th minute to put the visiting Golden Rams on top early. That is the way things remained until midway through the second half when West Chester scored twice in a five-minute span to put the game out of reach.
Rachal Toppi (Glassboro, N.J./Glassboro) then poked in a loose ball in front in the 59th minute, before
Mary Spisak (Boiling Springs, Pa./Boiling Springs) beat a defender and blasted a shot past the goalkeeper in the 62nd minute for the final tally of the afternoon.
West Chester goalkeeper
Sarah Krause (Lancaster, Pa./Conestoga Valley) made seven saves for the shutout.
Kristina Scherrer (Enola, Pa./Cumberland Valley) and Spisak each recorded a defensive save in the contest as well. Krause improved to 12-2 in the cage and picked up her fifth shutout of the season. For the Golden Rams, it was their eighth straight win dating back to Oct. 5.
The win also came one day after West Chester found out that it moved into the No. 1 spot in both the national rankings and the Atlantic Regional rankings, which is the basis for determining the NCAA Division II Tournament field. The top-ranked team in the Atlantic Region will receive a bye to the national semifinals in Louisville, Ky., next month. However, rematches with either, or both, Shippensburg and Millersville are more than likely in the PSAC Tournament that gets under way Nov. 11. The top two seeds in the PSAC Tournament receive byes to the conference semifinals with the regular-season champion earning the right to host the conference championships.
West Chester returns home on Saturday, Nov. 8 to take on East Stroudsburg in the regular-season finale for both schools. A win by West Chester, or a loss by Millersville on Saturday, would clinch the top seed for the Golden Rams. It is also Senior Day on Saturday, and the Golden Rams field hockey family will honor its two seniors in a brief pre-game ceremony.
