GREENSBURG, PA –
Keri Barnett (Glenolden, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) and
Hannah Stansilawczyk (Mohnton, Pa./Gov. Mifflin) each scored four goals to lead top-ranked West Chester to a 15-11 victory over No. 4 University of Indianapolis Saturday afternoon.
West Chester (10-0) remained unbeaten on the year while UIndy fell to 9-2 in a battle between two of the top three teams in Division II. For the Golden Rams, it was their third victory over a ranked opponent and their second over a Top 5 opponent.
"We are really proud of their fight all game long," West Chester head coach
Ginny Martino said. "UIndy is a very tough and talented team. We kept our heads together and finished strong."
UIndy, the defending NCAA Division II national champions from a year ago, saw its modest two-game win streak come to a close. Saturday's neutral site game played on the campus of Seton Hill University in Western Pa., marked the seventh time since 2002 that West Chester has played the previous season's national champion. The Golden Rams are now 3-4 in those seven contests with its last victory coming in 2006 over Stonehill, which won the 2005 national championship.
West Chester has now defeated both participants in last year's national title game this season.
The Greyhounds drew within a goal (10-9) with :29 left in the third quarter. However, Stanislawczyk's third goal of the game came with just :06 left in the third to douse any momentum that UIndy tried to muster. It also ignited a charge in the Golden Rams, who finished out the contest scoring five of the game's final seven goals to pull away.
"Hannah's goal was huge," Martino commented. "It's always a great momentum shift when you can score right before the buzzer. It was a great individual effort by her, but her teammates did a great job of clearing space for her."
A see-saw battle for nearly 45 minutes, that saw six lead changes and five ties, broke open at the beginning of the fourth quarter with back-to-back goals from
Madeline Edinger (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) and Stanislawczyk. That finally gave the Golden Rams some breathing room with the largest lead of the game at four goals (13-9).
"It went back-and-forth before halftime," Martino added. "Honestly, we just needed to clean up our game and get on the same page at both ends of the field. I feel like we got better with that as the game went on."
Another three-goal spurt in the second quarter by West Chester erased the only UIndy lead of the game. With the Greyhounds up, 5-4, a pair of free position goals from Barnett, sandwiched around Stanislawczyk's second goal of the game, put the Golden Rams in front, 7-5. West Chester would never trail again.
Julia Littlewood (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) and
Lila McMahon-Skates (West Linn, Ore./West Linn) each added a pair of goals in the win.
Taylor O'Brien (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) and
Meg O'Donnell (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) each scored as well.
Indianapolis was led by Joey Fowler, who had three goals on the afternoon and Anna Ziemba, who posted five points (2G, 3A).
Jessica Gorr (Exton, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) made seven saves to remain perfect on the season in the cage. UIndy's Audrey Moran made six.
West Chester returns home on Tuesday for a PSAC contest against Millersville set to begin at 4 p.m. at Vonnie Gros Field.
