WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Alyson Cutter (Warrington, Pa./C.B. South) scored in the 53
rd minute to give the West Chester University women's soccer team (12-3-3) an early second-half lead, and the Golden Rams never looked back en route to a 2-0 PSAC Quarterfinal victory over East Stroudsburg (10-5-4) on Monday afternoon.
West Chester began its PSAC Title defense in impressive fashion on Monday afternoon, using a pair of second-half goals to defeat the upset-minded Warriors and advance to the PSAC Semifinals for the second consecutive season.
West Chester applied pressure to the ESU defense throughout the first half, getting a number of good chances in the first 10 minutes of play. The Golden Rams got what was perhaps the best chance for either side of the half in the 35
th minute when
Faith Matter (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) received a long pass from
Jacqueline Graham (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North). Graham's pass sent Matter in alone on the ESU keeper, and the sophomore forward appeared to beat the charging Emmy Clarkson, but the chance hit off the post and went just wide to keep things scoreless heading into the halftime break.
Out of the break, West Chester upped its pressure on its guests, and this paid dividends quickly as Cutter scored off a long pass from Matter just over seven minutes into the second half to give the Golden Rams a 1-0 lead.
In the 62
nd minute, ESU threatened to tie the game as the Warriors leading scorer, Natalie Schooley, uncorked a rocket from the top of the box, but it went just wide of the near post to keep the visitors scoreless.
Recognizing the need for an insurance goal following this chance, West Chester went to work quickly, getting this needed goal in the 64
th minute from Matter following a beautiful display of passing by the Golden Rams. Hug carried the ball down the far sideline and sent a cross into the box, which found the feet of
Victoria Pungello (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial), who made a quick decision and an even better pass to the middle, finding Matter, who was able to bury the ball past a diving Clarkson.
Trailing by a pair late, the Warriors worked to mount a comeback in the final 25 minutes of play, needing at least a pair of goals to extend their 2023 season. East Stroudsburg got off five shots, including three shots on goal in the next 25 minutes, but
Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) proved she was up to the task in goal, making all three saves to keep the high-powered Warriors off the scoreboard.
Keen was outstanding in goal on Monday afternoon, finishing her afternoon with six saves to pick up her 12th victory and 10th shutout of the season for the Golden Rams. Keen's counterpart, sophomore keeper Emmy Clarkson, also played well on Monday, making six saves of her own to keep the Warriors in the game throughout the afternoon.
West Chester ended the contest with a 15-12 lead in shots, including an 8-6 advantage in shots on goal to go along with a 3-2 edge in corners after winning a pair of corners in the game's final two minutes.
Up Next:
West Chester will now begin scoreboard watching, not only to learn whether they will face Mercyhurst or Seton Hill in the semifinals on Friday afternoon but also to learn where that game will be played as the top seed, and PSAC East Regular-Season Champion Kutztown welcomes Bloomsburg to Keystone Field tonight beginning at 6 p.m. With a victory over the Huskies, Kutztown would earn hosting rights for the weekend, while a loss would send the Championship weekend to Rockwell Field as the Golden Rams would become the highest remaining seed.
