WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Kiley Kergides (Rydal, Pa./Germantown Academy) scored her second goal of the season in the 55th minute as the ball came bouncing out of the box following a corner-kick attempt to lift No. 5 West Chester (10-0-0, 9-0-0) to a 1-0 victory over No. 13 Bloomsburg (8-3-0, 6-3-0).
Kergides tally in the 55
th minute broke open what had been a scoreless affair up until that point and gave West Chester critical momentum for the final 35 minutes of regulation as the homestanding Golden Rams held off the upset-minded Huskies.
Bloomsburg nearly got the equalizer it was desperately seeking in the closing seconds of regulation when Alivia Gallardo took a header from the middle of the box but
Hayley McGee (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) was equal to the task, rising up and making a beautiful save to keep the potent Husky offense off the scoreboard.
In the first half, Bloomsburg applied heavy pressure early, getting a pair opportunities off corner kicks just over two minutes into the match but West Chester withstood the early pressure and kept the game scoreless. The Golden Rams mounted an early counter-attack, peppering the Bloomsburg defense with three shots in the first 10 minutes of play but the Huskies defense was also up to the task early as the contest remained scoreless.
The first half followed this script for much of the remainder of the half, although it was West Chester who ended the half with the better of the play, ending with an 8-4 advantage in shots despite a 3-1 deficit in corner kicks.
Following the West Chester goal just over 14 minutes into the second half, the contest began to settle into the midfield area as neither side appeared interested in yielding particularly good opportunities to its foes.
Bloomsburg did mount an early attack following the goal, which nearly evened the score but it was to no avail as the Golden Rams maintained their lead heading into the 60
th minute of play. In the 79
th, West Chester appeared as if it might double its lead after a corner kick, lead to a pair of shots by
Lauren Corless (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge) and
Kaitlynn Haughey (Philadelphia, Pa./Penn Charter) but Corless's shot was blocked and Haughey's was just high as the game remained locked at 1-0.
Bloomsburg threatened late but the Golden Rams withstood the final push by the Huskies to emerge victorious and remain unbeaten on the year.
West Chester ended the game with a 13-7 advantage in shots and a 7-4 lead in shots on goal while also out-cornering the Huskies 7-3, thanks in large part to a 6-0 advantage in the second half.
McGee played well throughout the day, making four big saves, none bigger then her save in the closing seconds of regulation while her counterpart made six tremendous stops in an attempt to slow the potent West Chester offense.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Wednesday afternoon at Shippensburg beginning at 4 p.m.
