WEST CHESTER, PA – No. 1 West Chester made some key adjustments and battened down the hatches on a blistery, rainy Saturday afternoon to finally pull away from an energetic and determined Bloomsburg squad en route to a 16-5 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division women's lacrosse showdown at soggy Vonnie Gros Field.
West Chester (8-0, 4-0 PSAC East) shut out Bloomsburg (4-5, 1-3) in the second half, outscoring the Huskies by a 10-0 margin. However, the visitors got out in front early on the Golden Rams and played with a lot of confidence over the first 30 minutes. The hosts regrouped with a five-goal run near the end of the first quarter, but only held a 6-5 advantage at the break.
"We came out flat for some reason and played back on our heels," West Chester head coach
Ginny Martino said afterwards. "(Bloomsburg) was coming for us. We are going to have a target on our backs every game. But, I think we made a few adjustments on defense and brought more energy."
Bloomsburg scored the first two goals of the game five minutes into the contest and looked like it was going to dictate the pace of play. However, West Chester's pair of All-Americans in the midfield,
Keri Barnett (Glenolden, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) and
Hannah Stanislawczyk (Mohnton, Pa./Gov. Mifflin), jolted the home team back to life and ignited the five-goal run.
Meg O'Donnell (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland),
Lila McMahon-Skates (West Linn, Ore./West Linn) and
Taylor O'Brien (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) each added individual efforts that bolstered the Golden Rams' lead to 5-2, and they never trailed, or were tied, the rest of the way.
Bloomsburg made its run at West Chester in the second quarter, scoring three times to pull within a tally heading into the locker rooms. The Huskies took seven shots in the second and successfully cleared the ball on all six attempts. However, the next 30 minutes belonged to the Golden Rams by a landslide.
West Chester limited Bloomsburg to just three shots in the second half, forced 11 turnovers while the Huskies went just 3-for-8 on clears. The most astounding statistic of the final 30 minutes, and a huge reason for the bagel on the scoresheet and three shot attempts, was West Chester winning 11 of 13 draws.
Golden Rams goalkeeper,
Jessica Gorr (Exton, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) made four saves in the contest. Two of those stops came in the third quarter. She did not have to make a save in the fourth. As a result, the Rams held an opponent to five goals, or fewer, for the third straight game and fourth time all year.
"Sometimes, a goalkeeper can play off the vibe of a defense," Martino mentioned. "But, with a lot of goalies, they make a couple of saves and get that confidence back, and I think the 'D' did a nice job tightening things up in front of (Gorr). We started fighting the battles all across the field."
Barnett finished with four goals and one assist for a five-point afternoon. Stanislawczyk netted a hat trick while
Brenna Smith (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) and O'Brien each scored a pair of goals and assisted on another. Barnett and Stanislawczyk combined for 13 draw controls as well.
West Chester travels to Kutztown on Wednesday for a 4 p.m. PSAC East clash with the Golden Bears.
