Sixth-Ranked West Chester Tops Millersville, 11-6

Box Score
MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – Sami Barnett (Glenolden, Pa./Interboro) registered a hat trick as sixth-ranked West Chester downed homestanding Millersville, 11-6, in a PSAC women's lacrosse match at Biemesderfer Stadium Tuesday afternoon.
 
West Chester (4-0, 1-0 PSAC) gave up the first goal of the game to Millersville (4-2, 0-1), but rebounded to score eight of the next nine tallies and take a commanding 8-2 advantage. The Golden Rams' stifling defense frustrated the Marauders into a pair of scoring droughts that both lasted over 20 minutes while WCU's offense put the game out of reach.
 
With West Chester trailing 1-0 early on, Rams' senior attacker Ashley Pyle (Springfield, Pa./Garnet Valley) and Barnett each scored a pair of goals to quickly erase the deficit and put the visitors in front 4-1.
 
Millersville added its second marker of the opening half, before Tatum Altman (North Brunswick, N.J./North Brunswick) netted her first of two on a free position with five minutes remaining in the half. That gave West Chester a 5-2 lead at the break.
 
The Golden Rams rattled off three straight goals to open the second half and were well in control of the tilt in the first seven minutes of the second half. Ali Donohue (Mullica Hill, N.J./Clearview Regional), Kristen Vath (Milford, N.J./Delaware Valley) and Tara Morrissey (Downingtown, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) had the goals for WCU.
 
The Marauders notched the next two tallies to briefly pull within four (8-4), but that is as close as the hosts got all afternoon. Barnett, Altman and Rachel Harman (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) traded goals with Millersville the rest of the way to keep the Marauders at bay.
 
WCU goalkeeper Nicole Martins (Bethlehem, Pa./Saucon Valley) made four saves to pick up her fourth win without a loss on the season.
 
West Chester returns home on Saturday for another pivotal PSAC contest against Mercyhurst at Vonnie Gros Field at 1 p.m. That game is a rematch of the 2016 PSAC Championship Game.