EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa.- Hannah Stanislawczyk (Mohnton, Pa./Governor Mifflin) scored four goals and
Jessica Gorr (Exton, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) made seven important saves in goal to lead seventh-ranked West Chester (11-1, 8-1) past fourth-ranked East Stroudsburg (11-1, 7-1) on the road on Saturday afternoon.
As one might expect in a battle of top-10 teams, Saturday afternoon's contest was a back-and-forth affair throughout, which saw the game remain tied at 7-7 with under three minutes to play in regulation. With 2:19 to play in the fourth, Stanislawczyk took a beautiful pass from
Keri Barnett (Glenolden, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) and converted the opportunity to halt the Warrior run, break the tie, and lift West Chester to a crucial 8-7 road victory over the rival Warriors.
After five scoreless minutes, Stanislawczyk scored the first goal of the game to give West Chester a 1-0 lead with just under 10 minutes to play in the first quarter. East Stroudsburg answered back quickly, outscoring West Chester 3-1 over the balance of the first quarter to carry a 3-1 lead into the second.
In the second period of play, West Chester wasted little time in cutting into the deficit as
Julia Littlewood (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) scored off a feed from
Taylor O'Brien (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) just under a minute into the quarter to make it a 3-2 game. This tally sparked a 5-0 run for West Chester as Stanislawcyzk added two more goals while Barnett and
Lindsay Monigle (Rehoboth Beach, Del./Cape Henlopen) each scored goals during the run to give West Chester a 6-3 lead late in the first half. East Stroudsburg scored the final goal of the half with 1:24 to play, cutting the deficit to 6-4 heading into the halftime break.
In the second half, the game continued to be a back and forth affair as each side tallied one goal in the third quarter but it was East Stroudsburg who managed to even the score at 7-7 in the late stages of the fourth quarter, finding the equalizer with 4:50 to play. After this goal, the West Chester defense was stifling, holding the Warriors without a shot in the final 4:50 of play, which allowed the late tally by Stanislawcyzk off an assist from Barnett to stand up as the game-winning goal.
In the first meeting between the two sides earlier this year, the East Stroudsburg ride was a major factor in making clears difficult for the Golden Rams as the Warriors pulled off an upset victory on Vonnie Gros Field earlier this spring. In this matchup, West Chester ensured that this would not be a problem again as the Golden Rams were a solid 17-for-22 on clear attempts, which also helped West Chester end the game with a plus-three advantage in the turnover battle. West Chester was at its best clearing the ball when it mattered most, going 9-for-10 in the second half, including an impressive 4-for-4 effort in the fourth quarter to earn the comeback victory.
West Chester also ended the game with an 11-8 advantage in draw controls and a 23-21 edge in ground balls, which proved crucial to the Golden Rams ability to earn the road victory.
Grace Frasso (Cinnaminson, N.J./Cinnaminson) led the team in draw controls, coming away with six in the victory while also scooping a team-best five ground balls and causing a pair of turnovers.
Gillian Peters (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) led the way for West Chester in caused turnovers, causing four on the afternoon, including a crucial one late in the fourth, which eventually led to the game-winning goal.
West Chester will return to action on Tuesday afternoon at home against Shepherd beginning at 4 p.m.
