SHIPPENSBURG, Pa.- Riding a three-game winning streak, the West Chester University women's soccer team (7-4-0, 6-4-0) took to the road on Wednesday night for the second half of its season series vs Shippensburg (3-6-2, 3-4-2). West Chester took an early lead, scoring just five minutes in and dominated possession throughout the evening but Shippensburg used a pair of second half goals to shock the Golden Rams and emerge victorious by a 2-1 final.
Despite the setback, West Chester dominated possession throughout the evening, ending the match with a 28-4 lead in shots, including a 14-4 lead in shots on goal, while also finishing the match with a 4-1 lead in corners.
Faith Matter (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) opened the scoring just five minutes in with her third goal in two games to give the Golden Rams an early 1-0 lead.
West Chester dominated the first half, ending the first 45 minutes with a 15-2 lead in shots, a 7-2 lead in shots on goal, and a 2-0 advantage in corners.
To start the second half, West Chester continued its pressure and
Victoria Pungello (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) nearly stretched the lead to 2-0 in the opening moments of the half but Kirstin Brown made the save to keep the deficit at one.
Shippensburg took advantage of Brown's strong play moments later, scoring the equalizer in the 54
th minute when Rylee Cook took advantage of a well-placed pass from Lannah Werynski to even the match at 1-1.
After allowing its first goal since an October 2 loss at Kutztown, West Chester began searching for the winner in earnest but Brown continued her excellent evening in goal, keeping the score locked at 1-1 into the waning moments of regulation.
With the game appearing destined for a 1-1 draw and the clock ticking under one minute to play, Gabrielle Walker and Shippensburg found the goal that West Chester had been searching for with 54 seconds to play to escape with a 2-1 victory.
Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) made two saves in the setback as she saw her unbeaten streak and shutout streak come to an end. For Shippensburg, Brown was nothing short of outstanding, finishing with 13 saves to deliver a stunning win for the host Raiders.
Tonight's win marked Shippensburg's first win over West Chester since 2021, which also occurred in Shippensburg and is just the second time that head coach
Betty Ann Kempf Townsley has lost to the Raiders in her tenure.
Up Next:
West Chester will look to bounce back on Saturday afternoon vs Mansfield beginning at 12 p.m.
