WEST CHESTER, Pa.-Jacqueline Hug (West Chester, Pa./Unionville) opened the scoring just over 15 minutes into the first half and was one of three Golden Rams to find the back of the net in the victory as the No. 2 West Chester women's soccer team (12-0-0, 11-0-0) remained perfect on the year with a 3-0 win over Mansfield (2-10-2, 0-10-2).
Entering play with 13 different players having scored goals this season for West Chester, the Golden Rams increased that total by two this afternoon, as
Maggie Lena (Santa Monica, Ca./Santa Monica) and Lauren Corless (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge) each notched their first goals of the 2022 campaign on Wednesday afternoon.
West Chester was in control of the match throughout the afternoon, ending the contest with a 32-5 advantage in shots and a 20-1 lead in shots on goal to go along with a 12-2 lead in cornerKICKS.
West Chester applied steady pressure throughout the first half and this paid dividends early as
Jacqueline Hug (West Chester, Pa./Unionville) scored the first goal of the contest in the 29
th minute off an assist from
Kaitlynn Haughey (Philadelphia, Pa./Penn Charter).
Just over five minutes later, West Chester extended its lead as
Maggie Lena (Santa Monica, Ca./Santa Monica) scored just seconds after checking into the game off an assist from
Jenna Fox (Magnolia, Del./Polytech) to give the Golden Rams a commanding 2-0 lead.
The West Chester pressure did not relent as the half went on as the Golden Rams generated a trio of great scoring chances with shots from
Victoria Pungello (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial), Alyson Cutter (Warrington, Pa./C.B. South), and Lena.
At the halftime break, West Chester held a 17-2 lead in shots and an 11-0 advantage in shots on goal while also outcornering the Mountaineers 6-1.
West Chester added its third and final goal of the contest just under 10 minutes into the second half when
Lauren Corless (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge) scored her first goal of the season off an assist from Haughey, giving the sophomore her second helper of the afternoon and giving the Golden Rams a commanding 3-0 lead.
West Chester continued to pressure the Mansfield defense throughout the remainder of the second half, taking 15 shots, including eight shots on goal, seven of which were handled by Mansfield keeper Samantha Merklin.
Merklin had a huge afternoon in goal for the Mountaineers, making 17 saves, including a number of stellar stops to slow the potent West Chester offense, which has continually shown itself to be among the top offensive units in all of Division II women's soccer throughout the season.
For West Chester,
Hayley McGee (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) had a relatively quiet day in goal, making just one save en route to the shutout victory as her defense helped hold Mansfield to just five total shots in the 3-0 win.
Up Next:
West Chester will now shift its focus to a Saturday evening matchup at Lock Haven with that contest set to begin at 6 p.m. inside Hubert Jack Stadium.
