West Chester vs Lock Haven
Game Details: October 27 I 12 P.M.
Location: Rockwell Field (West Chester, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Video
Series: WCU leads 25-7-3 (WCU 16-game winning streak)
WCU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
LHU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Last Time Out
West Chester renewed its rivalry with Kutztown on Wednesday afternoon, battling to a scoreless draw against the Golden Bears after 90 minutes of excellent soccer. Both sides had their chances, but both defenses were up to the task throughout the afternoon. Olivia Conroy (Toms River, N.J./Donovan Catholic) made perhaps the play of the day for West Chester, heading a Caroline McDonald shot just over the crossbar to deny what appeared to be a certain goal. Moments later, Kutztown made an outstanding defensive play of its own as Cassidy Howes made an exceptional save of her own (one of her nine on the day), just getting a foot to it a shot from Faith Matter (Middletown, Pa./Middletown), which had appeared destined for the back of the net. Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) was also sharp in goal, making five big saves of her own to earn her first tie and seventh shutout of the year.
Flock Talk
Keen has been strong in goal for West Chester once again as a sophomore in 2024, playing to a record of 8-4-1 with a 0.88 goals-against average and seven shutouts entering the final four matches of the regular season.
Offensively, Matter continues to lead West Chester in scoring with six goals and 11 assists for 23 points, while Alyson Cutter (Warrington, Pa./C.B. South) leads the team in goals with nine while adding an assist for 19 points on the year. Kaitlynn Haughey (Philadelphia, Pa./Penn Charter) is third in scoring with five goals and two assists for 12 points on the season.
Home Sweet Home
Sunday’s game will be the third and final game of a three-game homestand for West Chester. The Golden Rams are currently 2-0 on this homestand and have outscored opponents by a 6-0 margin through those two contests. For the year, West Chester is 4-1-1 at home, outscoring opponents 15-3 with shutouts in five of those six games.
We Are Honored
Cutter became the latest Golden Ram to be recognized on Monday afternoon, earning PSAC East Athlete of the Week honors after her Saturday hat trick. Cutter’s hat trick was the first by a West Chester player since Scarlett Walsh in 2015 and the first in a conference game since September 2012. With this recognition, West Chester earned a weekly award from the PSAC in the last three weeks, beginning with Matter and Keen earlier this month.
Happening Pregame
Before the game on Sunday, West Chester plans to honor its senior class, which includes Jordyn Dupes (Middletown, Pa./Middletown), Paige Reali (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic), Lauren Corless (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge), Cutter, and Haughey. Additionally, West Chester is expected to honor head coach Betty Ann Kempf Townsley for her 400th career win earlier this season at Mansfield in late September.
Taking Shape
As the 2024 season enters its final weeks, the PSAC Tournament picture is steadily becoming clearer, although the top three spots remain separated by just four points. Shepherd earned a 2-0 victory at Millersville on Wednesday afternoon but was even happier to see the scoreless draw in West Chester between the Golden Rams and Kutztown. Kutztown and West Chester remain in hot pursuit of Shepherd for the top spot, as Kutztown is three points back of the Rams, while West Chester remains four points back after the draw despite being the only team to defeat Shepherd this season. Bloomsburg remains in contention as well, sitting in fourth with 20 points, just two points back of West Chester in third. The Golden Rams will have no shortage of soccer to watch on Saturday while waiting for their matchup on Sunday afternoon, namely the 12 p.m. battle in West Virginia between Shepherd and Kutztown. Earlier this season, the Rams and Golden Bears played to a 1-1 draw, which is a result that neither side would be opposed to happening again as it would keep the standings unchanged heading into the final days of October.
Spooky Season
Under head coach Betty Ann Kempf Townsley, West Chester is 101-16-12 in matches played in October. The Golden Rams' current senior class has only lost four games in October and played to a draw in three others, posting a record of 24-4-3 in their careers entering Sunday afternoon.
Series History
West Chester holds a commanding 25-7-3 lead in the all-time series against Lock Haven, largely thanks to an impressive 16-game winning streak that started in September 2013. West Chester has not lost to Lock Haven since October of the 2012 campaign, the Golden Rams' first loss to Lock Haven since 2003, when the Bald Eagles had won five of the last six meetings.
In the first meeting between the two sides earlier this season, Cutter scored a pair of first-half goals to help propel West Chester to a 4-1 victory over the Bald Eagles. Cutter opened the scoring in the 12th minute and scored the eventual winner in the 22nd minute as the Golden Rams carried a 2-1 lead into the halftime break. Haughey and Brielle Zink (Islip, N.Y./Islip) added a goal in the 61st and 67th minute to lead West Chester to its 4-1 triumph. West Chester ended the match with a 17-5 lead in shots, an 8-3 lead in shots on goal, and a 10-1 advantage in corners.
I Remember…
Current assistant coach Takiyah Thomas is a Lock Haven graduate and was a First Team All-League selection for the Bald Eagles during her Senior season in 2000. Thomas, also an All-Region pick that season, led the Bald Eagles to a 1-0 victory over the Golden Rams for one of her 11 shutouts, which still ranks second all-time in program history. Thomas made 126 saves that season, which ranks first all-time, and posted a 0.58 goals-against average, second best in single-season history, to help lead coach Peter Campbell’s squad to a record of 16-2-3 overall and a PSAC Championship.
Scouting Lock Haven
Lock Haven enters play following a 1-0 loss against Shippensburg on Wednesday afternoon, which marks the Bald Eagles' sixth loss in seven games dating back to the 4-1 setback against West Chester on September 29. During this seven-game skid, Lock Haven has mustered just four goals and has been outscored 14-4, including the 4-1 loss to West Chester and a 3-0 loss to Shepherd.
Against Shippensburg on Wednesday afternoon, Lock Haven found itself behind early, trailing by a goal just 20 minutes into the match and, despite a valiant comeback effort, could not find the equalizer in the 1-0 loss. Shippensburg ended the game with a 15-9 lead in shots, a 7-6 lead in shots on goal, and a 7-4 lead in corner kicks. In goal, Megan Miller did all she could for Lock Haven, making six saves to keep her team in the contest throughout, but it was not enough to overcome the early goal she conceded.
Lock Haven has mustered only six goals this season, and they have come from six different players. Elizabeth Shultz, Bryn Constanzer, Aleigha Rieppel, Sydney Stahl, Eva Stoessel, and Julia Taveres have all scored a goal, while Evelyn Ciaccia leads the team in points with three assists. Miller has been a fixture in goal, playing to a record of 2-8-3 on the year with a 1.58 goals-against average and three shutouts.
