Game Notes
KUTZTOWN, Pa.- Following an exciting victory over No.4 seed Charleston (15-6) to open the NCAA Tournament on a blustery Friday afternoon at Keystone Field on the campus of Kutztown University, the West Chester women's soccer team (12-4-2) has shifted its attention to its next opponent in top-seed and PSAC rival Kutztown (17-1-1). Opening kick in this second round NCAA Tournament matchup is set for 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
When asked about the matchup vs the Golden Bears following her squad's victory over the Golden Eagles on Friday afternoon, Head Coach
Betty Ann Kempf Townsley said, "We just need to focus on our team, and what our strengths are and make sure we play to those strengths. If we can do that, I think it will put us in a good position to get the result we need."
This will be third meeting between the two rivals this season and the 45
th meeting all-time between the two clubs. So far this season, West Chester and Kutztown have treated fans to a pair of classic, battles with each team earning a victory at the oppositions field and each contest being decided by just one goal, scored in the later stages of regulation. Historically, West Chester holds the upper hand in the rivalry, entering play with a record 28-13-3 all-time, however, recent history ha shown the two sides to be very evenly matched, having played to a record of 3-3 over the course of the last six meetings. While the overall history has been kind to West Chester and recent history has shown the two teams to be evenly matched, Kutztown does enter play with a perfect 2-0 NCAA Tournament record vs the Golden Rams.
Ticket prices for each day of competition will be $8 for adults, $5 for senior citizens/students with ID, and $3 for children ages 2-12. Tickets may be purchased online via the following
link. Additionally,
live stats and
video of the game will also be available for fans unable to make the trip on Sunday afternoon. For fans in the West Chester area who are unable to make the trip on Sunday, Barnaby's on High Street in West Chester will also be holding a West Chester Watch Party on Sunday afternoon for the women's soccer, field hockey, and women's rugby squads.
West Chester earned its spot in this game after capturing a 2-0 victory over fourth-seeded Charleston (W.V.) on Friday afternoon on Keystone field. In this contest, Charleston and West Chester battled throughout a scoreless first half of play, as each team logged three shots but neither side was able to find the back of the net through the first 45 minutes. The second half was a decidedly different story as the Golden Rams outshot their opposition by an impressive 7-1 margin while
Julia Raybold (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) and
Erin Greiner (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) each tallied goals to help lift West Chester to the 2-0 victory.
Hayley McGee (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) was strong between the pipes once again for the Golden Rams, making three saves to limit the potent Charleston offense.
Greiner's goal made her the 18
th-different Golden Ram to find the back of the net this season, providing West Chester with impressive depth, which few other teams are able to consistently replicate.
For Kutztown, the Golden Bears enter play on Sunday afternoon looking to avoid another upset after being knocked-off in the PSAC Quarterfinals by Millersville on penalty kicks. Boasting the 2021 PSAC East Player of the Year in Kayla Argen and Coach of the Year in Erik Burstein, No. 3 ranked Kutztown has enjoyed an impressive 2021 season, entering play with a record of 17-1-1 on the season. Of course it bears noting, that the Golden Bears lone loss of the year came at the hands of West Chester on Keystone field earlier this season. In that matchup, Kutztown scored the first goal of the game early in the first half but
Maggie Lena (Santa Monica, Cal./Santa Monica) tied the game off an assist from East Rookie of the Year
Kaitlynn Haughey (Philadelphia, Pa./Penn Charter) before
Jenna Peters (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury) delivered the game-winner in the closing moments of regulation to lift the Golden Rams to the victory.
Argen enters play as Kutztown's leader in all major offensive statistical categories with 10 goals (including five game-winners) and four assists for a total of 24 points on the year. Beyond Argen, Kutztown also looks to Brittany Arentz (4G/2A/10P) and Isabella Rosetti (4G/2A/10P) to provide depth on the offensive end as they rank in a tie for second in scoring. Defensively, Emme Wolfel and Cassandra Baker have shared the goalkeeping duties this season with Wolfel playing to a record of 12-1-1 with a 0.63 goals against average while Baker is a perfect 5-0-0 with an even smaller 0.36 goals against average.
As a team, Kutztown is averaging 1.95 goals per game on 16.3 shots per contest while holding its opponents to an average of just 0.58 goals per contest and only 6.5 shots per game to this point in the 2021 season.
The winner of Sunday's contest will advance to the next round of the NCAA Tournament, where they will have a chance to play for a Regional Championship and potentially a bid to the Final Four at the home of the highest remaining seed in the Atlantic Region. That round would be conducted between December 2
nd and December 5
th following the Thanksgiving Holiday.
