Top-Ranked West Chester Ready For Third Meeting With Kutztown Friday

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MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – The top-ranked team in the country and the top overall seed in the tournament doesn't mean much as West Chester found out one year ago. However, the Golden Rams find themselves back in the national semifinals as the favorite when they open play at the NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championships on Friday afternoon at Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium.
 
West Chester (18-1) faces familiar Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) foe Kutztown (15-6) at 2 p.m. on Friday in Millersville, Pa. The other semifinal pits Saint Anselm against East Stroudsburg. That game follows the West Chester-Kutztown match.
 
Tickets to the national semifinals are $10 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens and $2 for children. A group rate of $3 per person for parties of 10 or more is also an option. All tickets can be purchased at the gate.
 
West Chester heads to the semifinals for second year in a row and the sixth time in head coach Amy Cohen's nine seasons at the helm of the Golden Rams. Last year, the Golden Rams came in as the No. 1 ranked team in the country and the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, but suffered a 4-0 setback to eventual national champion Shippensburg in the semifinals. Friday's semifinal will be the third time these two squads have met this season with West Chester winning the regular-season encounter, before falling in the conference semifinals.
 
The Golden Rams' offense is led by the nation's third-, fifth- and sixth-leading scorers. Katie Thompson (Washington, N.J./Warren Hills) leads the way with 21 tallies while Kat Roncoroni (Lebanon Twp., N.J./Voorhees [American]) has 19 and local product Caitlin Kelly (Coatesville, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) has 16.
 
Defensively, West Chester recorded 11 shutouts on the season and held four opponents to zero shots – not shots on goal, but shots, period – in the game. The back line of Chester County native Emma Velez (Coatesville, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) and international standouts Caitie McNamara (Buderim, Australia) and Marre Corver (Aarlanderveen, The Netherlands) has been stout in front of a freshman goalkeeper.
 
A win on Friday would advance West Chester into the national championship game for the first time since the Golden Rams won back-to-back crowns in 2011 and 2012. West Chester has won six field hockey national championships overall, but the two latest titles were at the Division II level. The Golden Rams won four AIAW crowns in the mid 1970s.