BLOOMSBURG, Pa.- As the final week of the regular season draws near, the West Chester University women's soccer team (9-5-1, 8-5-1) took to the road on Saturday evening to face Bloomsburg (9-4-3, 7-4-3) in a critical PSAC Eastern Division matchup. West Chester dominated the match throughout the afternoon, ending the contest with a 24-9 lead in shots, but a mid-first-half tally by the Huskies made the difference as Bloomsburg escaped with a 1-0 victory over the visiting Golden Rams.
Despite ending the first half with an 11-4 lead in shots and an 8-2 advantage in shots on goal, West Chester found itself down a goal at the break as an Alexa Arrigale tally in the 34
th minute gave the upset-minded Huskies a 1-0 advantage.
West Chester continued to search for the tying goal early in the second half, outshooting Bloomsburg 5-2 through the first 20 minutes of the frame, including a good chance off the foot of
Kate Alexander (East Islip, N.Y./East Islip) in the 51st minute, which Samantha Merklin gobbled up.
In the 85
th minute,
Alyson Cutter (Warrington, Pa./C.B. South) got off a good shot of her own on a turnaround chance in front, but Merklin made another excellent save to keep West Chester off the scoreboard as the game ticked under five minutes to play.
West Chester continued to search for the game-winner as the waning moments of the second half ticked by, taking a pair of shots on Merklin in the 88
th and 89
th minutes from
Victoria Pungello (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) and
Kaitlynn Haughey (Philadelphia, Pa./Penn Charter) but the Huskies keeper was equal to the task both times, keeping the score locked at 1-0.
Tonight's setback is the Golden Ram's first loss to Bloomsburg since a November 2021 setback in the PSAC Tournament as Bloomsburg, and it is the Golden Rams first regular season setback since October 2021 of that campaign.
Merklin was brilliant in Saturday evening's victory, finishing the match with 12 saves. The Golden Rams ended the game with a 24-9 lead in shots and a 12-3 lead in corners in the losing effort.
Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) did what she could in goal for West Chester, making a pair of saves to keep West Chester within striking distance throughout the afternoon.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Wednesday night at Millersville, beginning at 6 p.m., in another crucial PSAC East matchup.
