ERIE, Pa.- Playing in the PSAC Championship game for the first time since the 2017 season, in search of its first Conference crown since the end of the 2010 campaign, the No.2 West Chester women's soccer team (19-0-1) returned to action on Sunday afternoon against PSAC West Regular Season Champion Gannon (14-3-4). West Chester followed a similar script to the Friday semifinal, scoring early in the first half thanks to a goal from
Alyson Cutter (Warrington, Pa./C.B. South) before the Golden Rams scored twice more ahead of the halftime break to take a commanding 3-0 lead into the break en route to a convincing 3-0 win over Gannon Sunday afternoon.
"I am so excited for this group," opened Head Coach
Betty Ann Kempf Townsley after the game. "This is a really special team that has been so much fun to watch and so much fun to be around. This team has done a great job of playing together as a group, and it makes us tough to play against because on any given day, you don't know who will step up and score a big goal for us," continued the Golden Rams mentor.
Cutter, who scored the game-winning goal in both the PSAC Semifinal and Championship victories for the Golden Rams was named Tournament MVP, finishing the PSAC Tournament with two goals and an assist for a total of seven points to lead the Golden Rams on the weekend.
"Aly has been great for us all season and especially in the postseason," noted Coach Kempf Townsley when asked about her Tournament MVP. "The postseason is truly a different animal, and it is always interesting to see who takes their game to the next level in these scenarios. Aly has really stepped up in these last two games and was a great go-to for us all weekend. She provides a great spark and puts a lot of pressure on defenses while also making some truly great decisions to help lead us to the Championship over the weekend," noted Kempf Townsley.
Earning its first PSAC Tournament Championship since the 2010 season, which was the second of back-to-back PSAC Tournament titles, West Chester never trailed on Sunday afternoon, scoring all three of its goals in the first half of play en route to the Conference Title.
West Chester ended the match with a 14-10 lead in shots and a 6-3 lead in shots on goal while ending the contest tied with Gannon in corners at 4-4.
Just under three minutes into regulation, West Chester generated a good opportunity off the foot of
Kaitlynn Haughey (Philadelphia, Pa./Penn Charter), but her chance went just wide of the post to give the Golden Knights an early goal kick.
Gannon mounted a quick counterattack and got an early corner kick opportunity, but the chance went by the wayside as the match remained scoreless.
Alyson Cutter (Warrington, Pa./C.B. South) got the Golden Rams on the board early, capitalizing on continued pressure for West Chester, accepting a perfect feed from
Jacqueline Hug (West Chester, Pa./Unionville) before burying it past the Gannon keeper to give WCU the early 1-0 lead.
Just 15 minutes later,
Faith Matter (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) doubled the lead after getting the ball just on the other side of midfield and taking a great run, touching the ball past the Gannon keeper and scoring into an open goal past a Gannon defender to give WCU the 2-0 advantage.
Matter picked up her third point of the afternoon just before the halftime break with a beautiful assist, which found the foot of
Kelli Collins (Lawrenceville, N.J./Pennington Prep), who made the most of the chance, extending the WCU lead to 3-0.
West Chester controlled the first half, ending the opening half with an 8-2 lead in shots and a 4-1 lead in shots on goal, with three of those shots resulting in goals while also out-cornering the Golden Knights 2-0 through the first 45 minutes of action.
As the game approached its 65th minute, Gannon generated multiple good opportunities in a row, including a free kick from directly out in front of the box and a corner just minutes later, but
Hayley McGee (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) was up to the task as she kept the Golden Knights off the scoreboard.
McGee ended the match with three saves for the Golden Rams, while her Gannon counterpart made three crucial saves of her own to keep her team in the match throughout. This victory gave McGee her 14
th shutout of the season, which is second in single-season program history, while her 19 victories is also second in program history entering the NCAA Tournament next week.
What's Ahead:
West Chester will now await the Division II women's soccer selection show on Monday night at 7 p.m. to learn where and when it will continue its magical 2022 season.
