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SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The West Chester University women's soccer team (12-4-2) looks to continue its postseason campaign on Friday afternoon when the ladies take on Edinboro (11-5-3) with that game beginning at 2:30 p.m. at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium on the campus of Slippery Rock University.
West Chester and Edinboro did not meet in the regular season. The last time the Golden Rams took on the Fighting Scots was in the 2018 campaign, and West Chester was able to beat Edinboro on the road, 1-0, in that match up. The Golden Rams outshot the Fighting Scots, 18-11 during that game. West Chester is 13-4-2 all-time against Edinboro. This will be the school's first meeting in the postseason.
Admission for all rounds of the PSAC Tournament is $10 for adults, $5 for students, who are not from a PSAC Institution, and free of charge for any student from a PSAC member school with valid ID.
West Chester is making its 17th consecutive appearance in the PSAC postseason tournament. Head Coach
Betty Ann Kempf Townsley has not missed the conference playoffs in her 13 years on campus. She is 17-9 in the PSACs, including Tuesday's win over Bloomsburg.
The Golden Rams have won the PSAC Championship four times with the most recent title coming in 2010. Overall, West Chester holds an all-time record of 18-11-5 in the PSAC Championships as of Tuesday. Additionally, the Rams are 6-5-3 in the semifinal round, going 1-2 in penalty kick outcomes in the three ties. Should the Golden Rams make it to the finals on Sunday, they show an all-time record of 3-3-1 in that round with a win on PK's in the one tie, which would account for the fourth team title.
During the 2018 season the Golden Rams made it to the PSAC Semifinals and lost to the Huskies of Bloomsburg on penalty kicks.
Jenny Bail (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) tied the game at 1-1 for the Golden Rams in the last five minutes of regulation. A more recent comparison was the run the Golden Rams made in 2017 to the PSAC Championship but came up short to the Warriors of East Stroudsburg, 1-0.
A look at West Chester:
West Chester opened it 2019 PSAC Tournament run on Tuesday evening against PSAC rival and No. 1 seed Bloomsburg at Steph Petit Stadium. With weather in the low thirties, West Chester used an early goal from
Hannah Zach (Doylestown, Pa./Central Buck East) to put the Golden Rams up 1-0. Bloomsburg was able to put one in the back of the net before the end of regulation. With 45 seconds left in double overtime,
Katie Crouthamel (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) scored for the Golden Rams help take down the No. 1 seed.
A glance at the NCAA Atlantic Regional rankings this week shows Edinboro sitting in the No. 8 slot with West Chester at No. 6. The top six schools make the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Rams already have a win over the top-ranked team in the region. A victory over the Fighting Scots would greatly enhance the Golden Rams' chances of seeing their name come selection time.
A look at Edinboro:
The Fighting Scots took on Mercyhurst in their PSAC quarterfinal game at home on Tuesday afternoon. Both teams remained scoreless in the first half with Mercyhurst out shooting Edinboro, 9-2. In the second half, the Fight Scots scored twice within two minutes to put them up 2-0. Mercyhurst scored one goal before the end of regulation but was not enough to top Edinboro.
The Fighting Scots are making their first appearance in the PSAC Tournament since 2016 and 12th overall. They are 4-10-1 all-time in the PSAC Tournament. They have never won the PSAC Championship, advancing to the title game in 2015, before losing to East Stroudsburg during that school's four-year run atop the conference. Edinboro was picked to finish sixth in the PSAC Western Division at the beginning of the year. After losing their first two matches, the Scots went undefeated in their next 12 (9-0-3) - the best stretch in team history.
Up Next:
The winner of Friday's semifinal will meet the winner of Slippery Rock vs. East Stroudsburg in the other semifinal on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium. The loser will have to wait until the NCAA announces the 2019 tournament field on Monday to see if their season continues.
