KUTZTOWN, Pa.- Julia Raybold (Elizabehtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) scored the first goal of the contest just over five minutes in off a corner as No. 5 West Chester (7-0, 6-0) held off Kutztown (4-2-1, 3-2-1) who had received votes in the most recent United Soccer Coaches DII Coaches poll on the road on Wednesday evening.
Raybold's early first-half tally opened the scoring came in just the sixth minute of play and gave West Chester crucial momentum on the road against long-time rival Kutztown on Wednesday evening.
With this goal, Raybold has now scored two goals in her last three games at Keystone Field dating back to the Golden Rams NCAA Tournament opener vs Charleston (W..V.) a season ago.
Following this early score, West Chester continued to control possession for much of the first half, outshooting Kutztown 10-3 overall and 7-2 in shots on goal through the first 45 minutes of action. West Chester also ended the first half with a 4-1 advantage in corners, one of which led to the first goal of the game for the Golden Rams.
Kaitlynn Haughey (Philadelphia, Pa./Penn Charter) threatened to extend the lead just moments into the second half but the Golden Bears goalkeeper was able to make a strong save and keep the score right where it was.
In the 66
th minute, Kutztown took its first shot of the second half but it was saved by
Hayley McGee (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley). Kutztown threatened to even the score once again in the 73
rd minute but as she had been for much of the night, McGee was there to make the save and keep the Golden Bears off the scoreboard as the game entered its final 15 minutes.
Kutztown made a final push in the closing minutes of regulation with back-to-back corner kicks in the 88th and 89th minutes but the Golden Ram defense stood tall as they had throughout the evening to preserve a 1-0 shutout victory and move to 7-0 on the year and 6-0 in league play.
West Chester ended the game with a 14-5 lead in shots and a 9-4 advantage in shots on goal to go along with an 8-3 advantage in corner kicks, which was an 8-1 advantage up until the closing minutes of regulation.
McGee made four saves in goal to earn her fourth shutout in a row while her counterpart made eight stops to slow the potent West Chester offense, which had averaged four goals per game over a pair of victories a week ago.
Up Next:
West Chester will now shift its attention to another important road battle at East Stroudsburg on Saturday evening beginning at 7 p.m.
