WEST CHESTER, Pa. - West Chester University hosts Bloomsburg University Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 1 p.m. in a quarterfinal round matchup in the 2017 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Women's Soccer Tournament at Rockwell Field.
No. 21 West Chester (14-2-1, 14-2-0 PSAC) enters as the top seed in the postseason tournament. The Golden Rams have yet to lose at home this season, compiling an 8-0-1 record inside the friendly confines of Rockwell Field.
This marks the second straight season that West Chester has claimed the No. 1 seed. The Golden Rams are currently riding a nine-game winning streak. Bloomsburg (9-5-3, 8-5-3 PSAC) enters as the eighth seed in the tournament.
Tickets to all PSAC tournament games are
$10 for adults and
$5 for students. Any student from a PSAC member institution with a valid university ID, will be admitted free of charge. There are no complimentary tickets available and only PSAC passes will be honored. Parking for the PSAC tournament will be located in the Farrell Stadium lot across the street. The small lot located at Rockwell field will be used only for handicapped parking as well as parking for game officials and administration.
West Chester played Bloomsburg once already this season back in September. The Golden Rams won by a final score of 2-1 with
Shannon Cooley (Frederick, Md./Urbana) scoring the game winner.
Two players to keep an eye on are
Nikki Zaso (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East) and
Jenny Bail (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley), who have combined to be West Chester's two leading scorers in 2017. West Chester has been fairly balanced this season as 15 different players have accounted for 29 goals. Defense has also been a strong suit this year as well, holding its opponents to just nine goals on the year with six shutouts.
The Golden Rams have won PSAC Championship four times with the most recent title coming in 2010. Overall, West Chester holds an all-time record of 14-10-4 in the PSAC Championships as they begin play on Tuesday afternoon inside Rockwell Field. Bloomsburg has tallied a trio of PSAC titles of its own.
Head coach Betty Ann Kempf Townsley has now made her 11th consecutive appearance in the PSAC Tournament. She currently holds a 13-7 record in those PSAC postseason matches.
The Golden Rams have faced Bloomsburg three times in team history, holding a 2-1 advantage. All three of these meetings have been in the PSAC quarterfinals. The most recent match was in 2009, when the Golden Rams won by a score of, 3-0, en route to their third conference championship.
Tuesday's matchup determines remaining schedule of the PSAC Tournament for the weekend. A West Chester victory means that the Golden Rams would host the rest of the tournament. If West Chester were to host, the schedule will be Thursday (11 a.m., 1:30 p.m.) and Saturday (1 p.m.). West Chester would play the earlier match at 11 a.m. on Thursday. If the Golden Rams were to lose, the schedule will be will be Friday (TBA) and Sunday (1 p.m.).
Below is the bracket:
