Second Half Surge Propels No. 8 West Chester Past No. 23 IUP, 20-8

WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Sami Barnett (Glenolden, Pa./Interboro) scored five goals as No. 8 and host West Chester University pulled away from a pesky Indiana (Pa.) squad in the second half to roll to a 20-8 victory in the regular-season finale at Vonnie Gros Field Saturday.
 
A picture-perfect afternoon was the setting for West Chester (17-0, 12-0 PSAC) to complete the team's first undefeated regular season since 2010. The Golden Rams earned a first-round bye in next week's conference tournament along with the right to host the semifinals and finals next weekend. IUP (9-6, 6-6) was eliminated from the postseason with the loss. West Chester will play the winner of Slippery Rock vs. Lock Haven, which will be played at Lock Haven on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
 
A tightly contested 8-6 match got out of hand early in the second half when West Chester, which scored a goal at the very end of the first half, opened the final stanza with six unanswered tallies to bust open a 15-6 lead.
 
IUP All-America attacker Ally Burrows stopped the bleeding with a goal. However, the Golden Rams answered with five of the last six markers to salt away the contest.
 
Julianne Clemens (Springfield, Pa./Springfield-DELCO) made nine saves to improve to 13-0 in the cage in her freshman year.
 
Tatum Altman (North Brunswick, N.J./North Brunswick) and Maggie Stella (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) each registered a hat trick. Altman finished with five points while Stella posted four.
 
West Chester's semifinal match next Friday afternoon will be the first game of the day at 1 p.m. East Stroudsburg, which finished in second place in the regular-season standings and also earned a first-round bye, will play the winner of Mercyhurst vs. Bloomsburg at 4 p.m.