WEST CHESTER, PA – Senior midfielder
Trisha Baud (West Deptford, N.J./West Deptford) registered a career-high six goals, and
Tatum Altman (North Brunswick, N.J./North Brunswick) added five, as fifth-ranked West Chester overcame a sluggish start to earn a 20-5 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division win over visiting Millersville at sun-splashed Vonnie Gros Field Saturday afternoon.
West Chester (2-0, 2-0 PSAC East) trailed early, but pitched a shutout in the second half to move past a determined Millersville squad (1-3, 1-2).
Baud handled the bulk of the draws for the Golden Rams, winning nearly half of the ones she took. The senior also scored two goals at the end of the first half and another one minute into the second that enabled West Chester to open up a six-goal lead and never look back.
Baud's third goal of the first half answered a tally from Millersville's Calie Swegon that had drawn the Marauders to within one (6-5). Altman netted a pair of goals one minute apart towards the end of the half, before Baud batted at a loose ball that floated over the keeper's head and just over the goal line as time expired in the first.
The second half was all West Chester as the hosts used that momentum to score 10 unanswered goals en route to the win.
"We just had to clean it up and get the first home-game jitters out," WCU head coach
Ginny Martino said. "We had to get a little bit of confidence and just run with it. That's all it took."
Baud and Altman each added a pair of goals in the second half, along with freshman
Hannah Stanislawczyk (Mohnton, Pa./Gov. Mifflin) and junior
Lindsay Monigle (Rehoboth Beach, Del./Cape Henlopen). The defense took it from there.
"We switched to our zone," graduate student
Molly Reinhart said. "Our defense is extremely confident in that, and we adjusted well to fix what we were doing wrong."
Altman (5 goals, 1 assist) and Monigle (4 goals, 2 assists) each posted six-point efforts alongside Baud's career effort.
Tara Morrissey (Downingtown, Pa./Bishop Shanahan),
Taylor O'Brien (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) and
Meg O'Donnell (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) each added goals.
Baud and senior defender
Allie Ward (Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville) each led the way with four ground balls.
Julianne Clemens (Springfield, Pa./Springfield-DELCO) made a pair of saves in 38 minutes of work in the cage to earn the win.
Jessica Gorr (Exton, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) also made two saves the rest of the way for West Chester.
Millersville's Kaleigh Sasdelli made three saves in the loss.
West Chester travels to No. 11 East Stroudsburg on Tuesday for the first of two regular-season clashes with the Warriors.
