Roster
Schedule
WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The 16
th-ranked West Chester women's soccer team is finalizing its preparations for the 2022 season ahead of its season opener on Thursday afternoon vs Jefferson on Rockwell Field, beginning at 1 p.m. Thursday's clash vs. Jefferson will be the first of a 17-game regular season, which once again features 16 games vs. PSAC East competition.
KICKING OFF
West Chester finished the 2021 season with a mark of 12-5-3 after defeating Charleston (W.V.) and Kutztown in the NCAA Tournament, which allowed the Golden Rams to make the trek to Athens, West Virginia, to face top-seed Concord in the NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament final in early December. This NCAA Tournament appearance marked the 18th year in a row in which West Chester has qualified for the NCAA Tournament, which is tied for the second-longest active streak in Division II women's soccer, trailing only Franklin Pierce, who qualified 19 years in a row from 1992-2010. The 2021 season also marked the third time in the last four appearances that West Chester has advanced to at least the Atlantic Region Tournament final. West Chester returns a number of key members of that 2021 Regional Final team, including its three leading goal scorers from a year ago in reigning PSAC East Rookie of the Year,
Kaitlynn Haughey (Philadelphia, Pa./Penn Charter), Julia Raybold (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown), and Maggie Lena (Santa Monica, Cal./Santa Monica).
West Chester has been well represented in preseason polls early this season, being picked 16
th in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll as one of just two PSAC programs in the top 25 before being picked to finish in a tie for first atop the PSAC East with Kutztown, who was the lone other PSAC program ranked in the preseason poll.
ROSTER CHECK
With the return of its three top scorers from a year ago in Rookie of the Year Haughey, Raybold, and Lena, West Chester begins the season in good shape offensively. Haughey led the team in scoring last year with six goals and four assists for a total of 16 points, while Raybold was a close second with five goals and two assists for 12 points on the year. Lena, who was in her first year as a Golden Ram a season ago after joining the team as a grad transfer from Marquette, turned in a solid year of her own, scoring four goals and adding two assists for 10 points, which ranked her third on the squad in goals and a tie for third in points.
Alyson Cutter (Warrington, Pa./C.B. South) also had a strong year offensively for West Chester a season ago, contributing three goals and three assists for a total of nine points on the year, an effort which she will look to build upon entering the 2022 season.
Rebecca Margolis (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) and
Lauren Corless (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge) each registered a pair of goals a season ago, with each player being credited with one game-winning goal each.
On the defensive end of the field, West Chester will need to replace some critical components from its 2021 defense, including Third Team All-American
Mikaela Berg. Still, the Golden Rams can look to some steadying forces in the return of goalkeeper
Hayley McGee (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) and
Deanna Lebotesis (Feasterville, Pa./Neshaminy) on the Golden Rams backline. McGee enjoyed a tremendous 2021 season, playing to a record of 12-5-1 with nine shutouts, including a shutout of Charleston (W.V.) to open the NCAA Tournament. McGee registered a .879 save percentage and a 0.61 goals-against average for over 1600 minutes between the pipes for the Golden Rams a season ago.
In addition to its strong returning core, West Chester welcomes 12 talented newcomers for the upcoming season, including a pair of goalkeepers in
Bella Collier (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) and
Samantha Hollish (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) along with 10 field players-
Jenna Fox (Magnolia, Del./Polytech), Jacqueline Graham (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North), Abigail Edelman (State College, Pa./State College), Mia Amen (West Chester, Pa./Rustin), Victoria Pungello (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial), Kaitlin Caban (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley), Faith Matter (Middletown, Pa./Middletown), Olivia Conroy (Toms River, N.J./Donovan Catholic), Olivia Myers (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside Chestnut Hill), and Madelyn Moore (Freehold, N.J./Colts Neck).
INSIDE THE RULE BOOK
For the upcoming 2022 season, fans are reminded that overtime will no longer be played during the regular season, meaning that any match with the score tied at the end of the 90 minutes of regulation time will end in a draw. In postseason play, overtime will remain but will not be golden goal, meaning any match that goes to O.T. in the postseason will run a full 110 minutes regardless of when or if a goal is scored during that time.
UP NEXT
West Chester opens its 2022 season on Thursday afternoon vs. Jefferson beginning at 1 p.m. before hosting Shippensburg next Wednesday afternoon in its PSAC opener beginning at 2 p.m.
