No. 12 West Chester Falls to No. 6 Kutztown

WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The 12^th-ranked West Chester women's soccer team (2-1-1, 2-1-0 PSAC) remained home on Wednesday afternoon to square off against No. 6 Kutztown (4-0-1, 3-0-0 PSAC) in a rematch of the 2022 Atlantic Region Championship game. Kutztown jumped out to an early lead, scoring the first goal of the match just 45 seconds in, and never relinquished its early lead en route to a 3-0 victory over the Golden Rams.

Kutztown opened the scoring just seconds into the match when freshman Katelyn Economopoulos found space just outside the box and took a shot, which arced past a diving Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) to give the visitors the early 1-0 lead.

Trailing for the first time all season, West Chester got to work quickly, getting two strong chances in the first six minutes of play, but the shot by Kiley Kergides (Rydal, Pa./Germantown Academy) was blocked, and a chance moments later by Jacqueline Hug (West Chester, Pa./Unionville) was saved to keep West Chester off the scoreboard early.

The Golden Rams continued to generate chances as the half progressed, ending the half with six corners and five shots, but the Kutztown defense was up to the task of keeping WCU off the scoreboard.
Late in the first half, Kutztown tacked on another goal following an Economopoulos corner when Bridget Curtis buried a loose ball in the box to give the Golden Bears the 2-0 halftime lead.
Economopoulos continued her big day with her second goal of the afternoon following a Caroline McDonald cross in the 55^th minute, which extended the Kutztown lead to 3-0.

Seeking to avoid its regular-season shutout since the final day of the 2021 regular season against Kutztown, West Chester applied heavy pressure to the Golden Bear defense down the stretch, but Cassandra Baker and company were up to the task of keeping the Golden Rams off the scoreboard.

Despite ending the game with an 8-7 lead in corners, the visitors ended the game with a 15-8 lead in shots and an 8-3 advantage in shots on goal.

Keen worked hard in goal for West Chester, making five important stops in an effort to slow the Kutztown offense, while her counterpart Baker was outstanding as well, making three big saves and a number of strong defensive plays to snap the Golden Rams 20-game regular season unbeaten streak.
 

Up Next:

West Chester returns to action on Saturday afternoon at Mansfield in the first of a quick two-game road trip for the Golden Rams.