West Chester vs Shippensburg
Game Details: 2 p.m. I Wednesday, September 11
Location: Rockwell Field (West Chester, Pa.)
Game Links: Live Stats I Watch
Series: WCU leads 35-5
West Chester Links: News I Roster I Schedule I Stats
Shippensburg Links: News I Roster I Schedule I Stats
Last Time Out
West Chester played only once last week but it was an excellent game for the Purple and Gold as the No. 11 ranked Golden Rams started the year with a 2-1 victory over Holy Family. Returning First Team All-American Faith Matter (Middletown, Pa./Middletown Area) scored the first goal of the season off an assist from Lauren Reimold (Chester Springs, Pa./Downingtown East), while Alyson Cutter (Warrington, Pa./C.B. South) scored what proved to be the game-winner 15 minutes later off an assist from Lauren Corless (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge). Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) picked up the win in goal, making a pair of saves in the victory. West Chester ended the game with a 16-13 lead in shots and a 7-3 advantage in shots on goal in the season-opening triumph.
Starting Strong
West Chester opened its season with a win on Thursday night, which extended the Golden Rams unbeaten streak to 23 years in a row. Head coach Betty Ann Kempf Townsley also improved to 14-0-3 in openers as the Golden Rams head coach. West Chester has not lost its PSAC opener since 2009, when the squad fell to Bloomsburg by a 1-0 final on September 2 after opening the year with a 4-0 victory over Dominican.
Two of a Kind
West Chester has a luxury that few PSAC teams have in that they have a pair of players who started their careers as Golden Rams by earning PSAC East Rookie and Player of the Year honors in consecutive years. Kaitlynn Haughey (Philadelphia, Pa./Penn Charter) was the first player to accomplish the feat, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2021 and Player of the Year in 2022. Matter, who like Haughey is also a two-time United Soccer All-American, followed suit, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2022 and Player of the Year recognition in 2023.
Chasing 400
Following the Golden Ram’s victory over Holy Family, Kempf Townsley is now just two wins away from her 400th career victory as a collegiate head coach. When she reaches this milestone, she will become just the 18th active coach and one of only four in DII to reach this plateau.
Polling Well
The preseason favorite to win the PSAC East, West Chester was ranked 11th in the United Soccer Preseason Poll and fell to 19th this week after opening the year with a victory a week ago.
Setting the Mark
West Chester is currently riding a 20-year NCAA Tournament appearance streak, which is tied with Grand Valley State for the longest overall and longest active streak in DII women’s soccer history after passing Franklin Pierce’s 19-year streak from 1992-2010 a year ago.
Oh Captain, My Captain
West Chester selected three captains this year as seniors Haughey, Cutter, and Corless will lead the Golden Rams throughout the 2024 season.
Series History
West Chester holds a commanding 35-5 lead in the all-time series vs Shippensburg, including wins in each of the last five meetings between the two teams. West Chester swept the series a year ago, outscoring Shippensburg 7-0 in two games, including a 4-0 road triumph and a 3-0 win at home in early October. The Golden Rams have not lost to Shippensburg in West Chester since 1997, when the Raiders escaped with a narrow 3-2 victory in late October of that year.
Scouting Shippensburg
With two non-league games in the books, Shippensburg is still searching for its first goal of the new season after falling to 2023 NCAA Tournament participant Frostburg State by a 1-0 final to open the season on Thursday and Saint Michael’s by a 2-0 final on Saturday afternoon. Gabrielle Walker is still a player to watch for the Raiders, as the sophomore turned in a strong rookie campaign a year ago with a team-best nine points (four goals/one assist). In goal, redshirt sophomore Kristin Brown has gotten the starting nod as the oldest keeper on the Raider roster and has played to a mark of 0-2-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average on the year.
