KUTZTOWN, Pa. – After having the first two meetings of the season series between No. 5 seeded West Chester (12-4-3) and top-seed Kutztown (17-1-2) decided by the slimmest of margins on second-half goals, a close game was certainly the expectation when the two sides came together in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday afternoon. What fans were treated to instead, was far more than simply a close game as the Golden Rams and Golden Bears engaged in a classic, which required PKs to decide who would advance to the next round of the NCAA Tournament. West Chester earned a thrilling 3-2 PK victory over Kutztown to advance past the Golden Bears and return to the Atlantic Region Championship match for the second time in as many tries.
In the early stages of the first half, West Chester applied steady pressure to the Kutztown defense as the Golden Rams were consistently in around the box, logging the first two shots of the game within the first seven minutes of play. This early pressure eventually paid dividends in the 31
st minute as the Golden Rams drew a foul in the box following a shot from
Erin Greiner (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) just seconds earlier. With a penalty kick opportunity, senior
Rebecca Margolis (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) stepped up to the spot and converted, thus, giving the Golden Rams a 1-0 lead with just under 15 minutes to play in the first half.
For the balance of the half, West Chester continued to out possess the Golden Bears, outshooting their hosts 7-3 through the opening 45 minutes of play to carry a 1-0 lead into the halftime break.
To start the second half, West Chester continued to outshoot its hosts, holding a 3-0 edge in shots and a 2-0 lead in shots on goal through the first 10 minutes of the half.
West Chester held its lead until the late stages of the second half but Kutztown found the equalizer in the 87
th minute when PSAC East Player of the Year Kayla Argen connected with teammate Gennyka Liebenthal to even the score at 1-1 in the late stages of regulation. Each side attempted to score the game-winner in the final moments of the second half but neither side was able to do so, thus, sending the game to overtime with the score even at 1-1.
In the first overtime, West Chester had an opportunity with its second PK of the contest, but the shot went just high to keep the score locked at 1-1 and eventually force a second overtime. In the second overtime, West Chester and Kutztown each generated opportunities but neither side was able to capitalize, as the score remained even at 1-1, requiring PKs to determine which team would advance to the Atlantic Region Championship match.
Dani Cady (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) started off the PKs with a successful kick into the lower left portion of the goal and
Audrey Schweizerhof (Perkasie, Pa./Dock Mennonite) who had checked into the match for PKs made a big save on the Golden Bears first attempt to give the Golden Rams an early lead.
Priscilla Walsh (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) followed this up with a successful PK of her own but Kutztown was able to answer to make the score 2-1.
Kaitlynn Haughey (Philadelphia, Pa./Penn Charter) had her attempt saved by the Kutztown keeper, which gave Kutztown the opportunity to even the proceedings at 2-2. In the next round, neither West Chester nor Kutztown was able to convert to keep things even at 2-2.
Jenna Peters (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury) who provided a critical assist in the victory on Friday afternoon converted her PK into the lower left portion of the goal and Schweizerhoff made a big save on Kutztown's attempt to lift West Chester to the thrilling 3-2 PK victory and send the Golden Rams through to the Atlantic Region Championship.
At the end of the match, West Chester held a 21-7 advantage over Kutztown in total shots and a 9-4 advantage in shots on goal.
Kelsey Kuhn (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicbsurg) made her collegiate debut in goal for West Chester and was outstanding, making three saves over the course of her 110 minutes of work to earn the draw before exiting in favor of Schweizerhoff for the PK rounds.
Concord, the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Region, captured the other Regional, defeating PSAC Champion Bloomsburg by a 4-0 final, which will send West Chester to Athens, W.V. during the first week of December for the Atlantic Region Championship game. Additional information regarding that matchup will be provided as it becomes available in the coming weeks.
