KUTZTOWN, Pa.- Looking to extend its winning streak to three in a row, the West Chester University women's soccer team (4-3-0, 3-3-0) visited RV Kutztown (5-1-3, 3-1-3) for a Wednesday night rivalry matchup. West Chester took an early lead, scoring first just over 11 minutes into the match, but Kutztown responded with three unanswered goals, including two in the second half, to deny the upset-minded Golden Rams and protect its home turf with a 3-1 victory.
Victoria Pungello (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) gave West Chester an early 1-0 lead with a goal in the 12
th minute off an assist from
Faith Matter (Middletown, Pa./Middletown).
This lead was short-lived, however, as Kutztown found the tying goal just under seven minutes later. Maura Day sent a service into the box, getting the ball to the far post, where it found the head of Chelsea Ritter and beat
Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) to tie the match at 1-1.
In the early stages of the second half, Kutztown managed to score its second goal of the match as Ritter picked up her third point of the night, this one via an assist to Corinne Morgan, who found the back of the net to give Kutztown a 2-1 lead with just over 35 minutes to play.
Suddenly trailing for the first time in two weeks, West Chester began applying heavy pressure to the Kutztown defense, outshooting its hosts 3-1 over the next 20 minutes, but none of the Golden Rams three shots remained on target with all three opportunities sailing just high over the crossbar to keep the score locked at 2-1.
Kutztown mounted a counterattack in the 78
th minute, and this paid dividends in the 79
th when Dana Wentz was the grateful recipient of a well-placed Taylor Rapel pass, which stretched the lead to 3-1 with just over 10 minutes to play.
Kutztown ended the match with a 7-3 lead in shots on goal and a 10-5 advantage in corners, although both teams finished the evening tied in shots overall with 12 each.
Keen worked hard in goal, making four big saves in the setback. Kutztown split the game as Morgan O'Donnell played the first half and made two saves while also allowing the goal, while her counterpart Cassidy Howes played the entirety of the second half in goal to help the Golden Bears hold on for the 3-1 victory.
Up Next:
West Chester will be back in action on Saturday at home against Bloomsburg beginning at noon.
