WEST CHESTER, Pa.-Alyson Cutter (Warrington, Pa./C.B. South) scored the first hat trick in a game for West Chester since 2015 to help lead the West Chester University women's soccer team (8-4-0, 7-4-0) to a convincing 6-0 victory over Mansfield (0-10-3, 0-10-1).
West Chester dominated the game once again, finishing the match with a 29-4 lead in shots, a 16-2 lead in shots on goal, and a 6-2 lead in corners, which helped guide the Purple and Gold to the 6-0 victory.
Kaitlynn Haughey (Philadelphia, Pa./Penn Charter) opened the scoring just six minutes off a pass across the box from
Faith Matter (Middletown, Pa./Middletown Area).
Cutter scored her first of three first-half goals three minutes later off assists from
Victoria Pungello (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) and
Carley Slavin (Abington, Pa./Abington) to make it a 2-0 lead.
Cutter scored two more goals in the 14th and 20th minutes off assists from Matter to give West Chester a commanding 4-0 lead and become the first Golden Ram since
Scarlett Walsh in 2015 to record a hat trick.
West Chester ended the first half with a 19-3 lead in shots, a 10-1 lead in shots on goal, and a 5-1 lead in corners.
On a day that started with West Chester honoring the Corless family after the passing of Cheryl Corless (Lauren's mother) from Cancer last Spring,
Lauren Corless (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge) scored her first goal of the year on a cross into the box from
Jenna Fox (Magnolia, Del./Polytech) to stretch the lead to 5-0 in the 49th minute.
In the 68th minute, West Chester set a new season-high for goals with its sixth of the afternoon as
Kianna Barber (Browns, N.J./BCIT) scored on a header off an assist from
Paige Reali (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) to give the hosts a commanding 6-0 lead late.
The Golden Rams' six goals in today's triumph are the most they have scored in a regular-season game since a September 2021 victory over Mansfield on Rockwell Field.
Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) earned the win in goal, playing the first 53 minutes and making one save before
Sam Hollish (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) finished the match in goal, playing the final 37 minutes and making one save of her own in the victory.
Despite the six-goal defeat, Alyssa Shuman was a bright spot for Mansfield on Saturday afternoon. The sophomore keeper played well throughout much of the afternoon and made 11 saves, along with a number of terrific defensive plays, in an attempt to slow the potent Golden Ram offense.
Up Next:
West Chester is back in action on Wednesday afternoon against Kutztown beginning at 12 p.m.
