WEST CHESTER, Pa.-Looking to run its home winning streak to four in a row, the West Chester University women's soccer team (8-4-1, 7-4-1) returned to action on Wednesday afternoon against Kutztown in a fight for second place in the PSAC East. West Chester entered the day one point shy of Kutztown for second place and remains one point back of the Golden Bears after the two teams played to a scoreless draw on Rockwell Field on Wednesday afternoon.
After controlling possession early, Kutztown got perhaps its best chance of the match in the 28
th minute when Caroline McDonald took a shot toward the far corner of the net.
Olivia Conroy (Toms River, N.J/Donovan Catholic) crashed in at just the right moment to head the ball away and force a corner kick, which West Chester was able to defend, which kept the match scoreless early.
Late in the half, Kutztown generated three more corners, but West Chester mounted an excellent counterattack in the final minutes as
Faith Matter (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) got an opportunity in front after
Kaitlynn Haughey (Philadelphia, Pa./Penn Charter) won a 50/50 ball in the midfield.
Matter appeared to have her seventh goal of the year, but Cassidy Howes made an acrobatic save. Finding a way to get a foot on the ball, Howes stopped the chance to keep West Chester off the scoreboard heading into the halftime break.
West Chester and Kutztown each took seven shots in the first half, and the Golden Rams ended with a 5-2 lead in shots on goal, despite Kutztown ending the half with a 6-1 lead in corners after getting its sixth corner in the final seconds of the half.
In the 56
th minute, Kutztown got another deep run into the box with the ball on the foot of Gianna Rivera. Rivera's chance was stopped by a charging Keen as she got her foot to the spot at the perfect time to send the ball sailing out of bounds for a deep throw.
West Chester had a flurry of chances late in the match, including opportunities by Haughey and
Alyson Cutter (Warrington, Pa./C.B. South), but Howes made a pair of excellent saves to keep the game scoreless.
Kutztown generated a handful of chances of its own down the stretch, but
Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) and company continued to play well down the stretch, making three more saves to finish with five on the match in the scoreless draw.
Howes was excellent for Kutztown throughout the afternoon, finishing with nine saves in the draw.
Kutztown ended the match with a 14-12 lead in shots and an 8-5 lead in corners, although West Chester finished the match with a 9-5 lead in shots on goal, including the two chances in the final 20 minutes from Haughey and Cutter and the early opportunity from Matter.
Up Next:
West Chester is back in action on Sunday against Lock Haven, beginning at 12 p.m. on Senior Day for the Golden Rams.
