WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Jasmine Miller (Millersville, Pa./Penn Manor) registered a hat trick, including the OT winner to lift No. 5 West Chester (4-1) to a 4-3 overtime victory over No. 10 Mansfield (4-1) on Saturday evening.
West Chester appeared as if it may have secured the victory in the final minutes of regulation after a successful
Kayla Snyder (Chadds Ford, Pa./Garnet Valley) penalty stroke, but upset-minded Mansfield scored the tying goal in the 59
th minute to force overtime on Saturday evening.
In overtime, West Chester began the extra session a player down and found itself two players down in the first two minutes after a pair of green cards. Still, the Golden Rams managed the situation and kept Mansfield off the scoreboard until they could return to full strength. Shortly after the second green card expired, Mansfield got a late corner opportunity, but the Golden Rams got the ball out of the circle to extend the overtime.
In the 67
th minute,
Caitlynn Szarko (Eldersburg, Md./Liberty) dribbled the ball through the midfield and sent a perfect pass to Miller on the right wing. With the ball in possession, Miller dribbled through the Mansfield defense and found the perfect angle for a shot to the far post past Mansfield goalkeeper August Lewis, lifting West Chester to the 4-3 OT victory.
Despite needing overtime to come away with the victory, West Chester controlled the ball for much of the game, ending the contest with a 21-8 lead in shots, including a 10-7 advantage in shots on goal, while also ending the game with a 9-4 advantage in penalty corners.
Lewis was outstanding in goal for Mansfield on Saturday evening, making six big saves, including four in the second quarter, to slow the potent West Chester offense and keep her side in the game throughout the afternoon. For West Chester,
Alina Burger (Konigs Wusterhausen, Brandenberg, Germany) played well in goal once again, making four big saves to quiet the Mansfield offense.
The scoring started early on Saturday evening as the game was tied at 2-2 heading into the halftime break after each team found the back of the net once in the first two quarters.
Mansfield opened the scoring just over two minutes into the game, capitalizing on a rush and getting a strong scoring chance on the far post to take an early lead.
West Chester answered back just before the end of the first quarter when Miller turned a loose ball in the midfield into a goal to send the game to the second tied at 1-1.
Late in the first quarter, West Chester earned a penalty stroke and nearly converted the opportunity but rang the post instead to keep the score locked at 1-1.
West Chester took its turn opening the scoring in the second quarter, scoring just under three minutes into the stanza after
Adriana Palumbo (West Deptford, N.J./West Deptford) fed Miller for her second goal of the afternoon.
In the 24
th minute, Mansfield evened the score at 2-2 with a successful penalty stroke, which helped the Mounties send the game to the half and, eventually, the fourth quarter locked at 2-2.
As the clock neared three minutes to play in regulation,
Claudia Jaszczak (Coatesville, Pa./Downingtown West) sent the ball out wide and found the stick of fellow senior
Paige Wolfe (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East). As Wolfe began to dribble down the right side of the circle, she was fouled by a Mansfield defender, leading to the second penalty-stroke opportunity of the day for the Golden Rams. Snyder returned to the spot for her second stroke of the day and made the most of the chance, scoring past a diving Lewis to give West Chester a 4-3 lead late in regulation.
Mansfield remained undeterred by the Golden Rams' late goal, working quickly to mount a counterattack and eventually scoring the equalizer with just under 1:30 to play in regulation, setting the stage for Miller's overtime heroics.
Up Next:
West Chester is back in action on Wednesday afternoon on Vonnie Gros Field against longtime rival Shippensburg beginning at 4 p.m. in the third and final game of the squad's three-game homestand.
