SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa.-The No. 2 ranked West Chester University field hockey team returned to action on Saturday on the road for its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opener at Slippery Rock. West Chester opened the scoring just over four minutes into the contest and cruised to a 4-0 road victory over the Rock.
In the 5
th minute,
Cameron Smith (Lewes, Del./Cape Henlopen) opened the scoring for West Chester, which gave the Golden Rams an early 1-0 lead heading into the second quarter. Following this goal, the contest remained scoreless until the 53
rd minute when
Valerie Van Kuijcik (Denbosch,Netherlands/ Pierson School) took an assist from
Montana Ott (Mount Bethel, Pa./Bangor) to secure a 2-0 lead in the late stages of the contest.
Moments later, Ott scored a goal of her own off an assist from
Dara Spavlik (Hockessin, Del./Conrad), which extended the West Chester lead to 3-0. In the 57
th minute,
Sophia Morrison (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) scored the fourth goal of the game for West Chester to give the Purple and Gold a commanding 4-0 lead.
West Chester ended the contest with a gaping 23-3 advantage in shots overall and a 12-2 edge in shots on goal. West Chester also ended the contest with a 10-1 advantage in corners.
Caitie McNamara (Buderim, Australia/Nambour Christian) logged a pair of defensive saves while goalkeeper
Claire Nielsen (Wescosville, Pa./Emmaus) went the distance between the pipes in the shutout victory for the Golden Rams.
West Chester will be back in action on Wednesday evening at home against another PSAC foe in the Millersville Marauders with that contest set to begin at 4 p.m. on Vonnie Gros field.
