WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Alyson Cutter (Warrington, Pa./C.B. South) tallied a pair of goals to lead the West Chester University women's soccer team (4-2-1, 4-2-0) to a convincing 4-1 victory over Lock Haven (1-4-0, 1-3-0) on Saturday afternoon.
Cutter.
Jacqueline Hug (West Chester, Pa./Unionville) and
Faith Matter (Middletown, Pa./Middletown Area) both enjoyed multi-point afternoons for West Chester as Cutter finished her day with a pair of goals, while Hug logged two assists, and Matter finished the day with a pair of assists and a goal of her own in the 84
th minute.
West Chester controlled the game throughout the afternoon, battling through strong wind and driving rain to post the convincing 4-1 home triumph over its visitors. West Chester ended the game with a 24-13 lead in shots and an 11-10 advantage in shots on goal, although the visiting Bald Eagles did manage to end the contest with a slight 3-2 edge in corner kicks on Saturday afternoon.
West Chester wasted little time in jumping out to an early lead, scoring just over three minutes into the contest when Cutter headed home a rebound off a shot by Matter, giving the hosts the early 1-0 advantage.
In the 30
th minute,
Kaitlynn Haughey (Philadelphia, Pa./Penn Charter) buried her third goal of the season off a perfect feed from Hug, which extended the lead to 2-0 entering the final 15 minutes of the first half.
The Golden Rams went to the half with a two-goal lead and extended this lead a bit further in the 58
th minute when Cutter scored her second goal of the day off another assist by Matter, this time a perfect pass through the middle, which gave the Golden Rams a commanding 3-0 lead.
Lock Haven began a comeback effort from this point, getting off a number of shots on goal, including a breakaway chance by Evelyn Ciaccia in the 62
nd minute, which cut the Golden Ram lead to 3-1 midway through the half.
After yielding this goal, the Golden Ram defense intensified, as did the driving rain, which had been threatening for much of the afternoon up to this point. This rain created a brief lull in the scoring as the two teams battled in the midfield, attempting to manage both the strong, steady wind and falling rain.
In the 84
th minute, West Chester struck once more as Matter picked up a goal of her own off another assist from Hug, extending the Golden Ram lead to 4-1, which the hosts would go on to win by.
Rookie goalkeeper
Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) had a big day between the pipes, making nine saves, including five in the second half, to help the Golden Rams return to the win column on Saturday. Her counterpart, Lock Haven sophomore Megan Miller, also had a strong day in goal, making seven saves, including several leaping stops as she helped slow the dangerous Golden Ram offense.
Up Next:
West Chester will have a week to prepare for its next opponent in rival Bloomsburg, who will welcome the Purple and Gold for a 2 p.m. start next Saturday afternoon. West Chester will return home briefly on October 4 to battle Shepherd beginning at 1 p.m.
