Box Score
EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. –
Kristen Vath (Milford, N.J./Delaware Valley) scored on a free position with 2:05 left in the second overtime period to lift No. 7 West Chester to a 9-8 victory over No. 19 East Stroudsburg in a PSAC women's lacrosse match at Whitenight Field Wednesday afternoon.
West Chester (15-1, 10-1 PSAC) remains in a tie for first place with Mercyhurst, which escaped Slippery Rock with a 10-9 overtime victory Wednesday night. East Stroudsburg (12-4, 7-4) has aligned itself for a run at the No. 4 seed in the upcoming tournament.
The Golden Rams, who seemed to control much of the 10 minutes of overtime, had plenty of opportunities to end the game earlier. However, Warriors goalkeeper Jessica Maxwell was stout in the cage, making five of her 12 saves on the day after regulation.
There were seven ties in the game and the largest lead of the contest was two goals (6-4 by West Chester very early in the second half). However, ESU battled back by scoring two straight and four of the next five tallies once the Rams had taken their 6-4 advantage.
Ashley Pyle (Springfield, Pa./Garnet Valley) tied the game off a feed from
Dina Cifelli (Robbinsville, N.J./Notre Dame) with 5:53 remaining in the second half. That's the way things stood until Vath's game-winner in the second OT.
Paige Mitros (Glen Mills, Pa./Garnet Valley) made a career high 12 saves in the cage for West Chester. But, none was more important than the one she made in the second overtime that kept the game tied. It marked the third time in her career that she has recorded double-digit saves in a game.
Hannah Cowan (Wilmington, Del./Ursuline Academy) scored three goals and added one assist while Cifelli finished with two goals and two assists to pace the offensive effort.
Caroline Kuchinsky (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) secured a team-best six draw controls while
McKayl Novak (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) caused a team-best four turnovers, defensively.
West Chester finishes its 2016 regular season at home on Saturday against Edinboro. The Golden Rams will honor its graduating seniors on Senior Day in a pre-game ceremony. West Chester needs to defeat Edinboro, and then await the outcome of the Mercyhurst-Lock Haven contest, to see if the Rams earn the right to host the 2016 PSAC Tournament semifinals and finals.
A Lock Haven win over Mercyhurst, coupled with a West Chester win, would give the Golden Rams the regular-season conference title. The top six teams in the final standings make the postseason tournament. The first two seeds receive a bye into the semifinals while Nos. 3 and 4 seeds host Nos. 5 and 6 in the quarterfinals.
West Chester has clinched a bye into the semifinals by virtue of its win Wednesday. The Golden Rams cannot finish any lower than second place in the league standings.
