WEST CHESTER, PA – So., F
Jasmine Miller (Millersville, Pa./Penn Manor) scored the game-winning goal in overtime to propel top-ranked West Chester to a 4-3 victory over fourth-ranked Kutztown in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) field hockey match at soggy Vonnie Gros Field Saturday afternoon.
West Chester (7-0) remains unbeaten on the season after its toughest test yet against Kutztown (6-2).
Claudia Jaszczak (Coatesville, Pa./Downingtown West) cleared the ball up the far sideline in the 7-on-7 situation with just over two minutes left in the first overtime, before finding Miller all alone in the circle. Kutztown goalkeeper Katie Madara came out to play Miller, but the sophomore spun around the sprawled out keeper and shot the ball into the vacated net. It was her second goal of the game that tied Jaszczak for the team lead.
Jaszczak's sprint up the sideline followed a nice pad save from sophomore goalkeeper
Megan Gula (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) on Kutztown's Megan Doyle. West Chester cleared the ball out of danger out of bounds.
Valerie van Kuijck (Denbosch, The Netherlands) then intercepted Kutztown's inbound pass on the restart and found Jaszczak breaking out of the defensive zone in transition.
It was Doyle's goal at 8:06 of the fourth quarter that sent the contest between these two rivals ranked in the top four into overtime. She found herself all alone in the middle of the circle for her third of the season that knotted the game at 3-3.
Kutztown's Olivia Blasone opened the scoring 10 minutes in with a tall off a penalty corner. Two minutes later, Gr., D
Dara Spavlik (Hockessin, Del./Conrad) evened things up with a blast from the top of the circle off a corner. Seven minutes after that, West Chester was awarded a penalty storke, and senior
Rory Strom (Jenkintown, Pa./Jenkintown) came on to convert the attempt and give the Golden Rams a 2-1 lead.
Kutztown's leading scorer, Rachel Dussman, tied the game when she took a feed in the middle of the circle and beat Gula with eight minutes left in the first half. That's the way things stood until the final quarter.
Miller tipped in a shot from van Kuijck standing on the far post just two minutes into the final quarter that put West Chester on top 3-2. Doyle tied it four minutes later, which set up Miller's overtime heroics.
West Chester outshot Kutztown, 24-8. Madara made 10 saves for the visitors in a losing effort. Gula made a pair of saves – none bigger than the last one in overtime.
The Golden Rams travel to IUP next Saturday for a 1 p.m. contest against the Crimson Hawks.
