No. 5 West Chester Heads to Undefeated Kutztown Tuesday for Mid-Week Showdown

Venue: Andre Reed Stadium
Video: Golden Bears Sports Network - LINK
All-Time Series: WCU, 17-6
 
KUTZTOWN, PA – West Chester hits the road for a mid-week conference showdown with undefeated Kutztown inside Andre Reed Stadium Tuesday evening at 7 p.m.
 
West Chester (8-3, 3-1 PSAC) sits in a four-way tie for second place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference standings just one game behind Kutztown (12-0, 4-0). Tuesday's evening affair under the lights is the first of three huge PSAC contests this week. The Golden Rams travel to Mansfield on Saturday, before welcoming Bloomsburg, one of the teams in that four-way tie for second, a week from Wednesday. This three-game stretch will go a long way in determining where the Golden Rams will spend the postseason.
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN RAMS  
West Chester is 6-2 in its last eight contests and has positioned itself well for what will certainly be an exciting stretch run through the second half of October. The Golden Rams have scored 19 goals in its last five games, averaging almost four goals per contest. Senior forwards Caitlynn Szarko and Erin O'Donnell each scored two goals in last Saturday's win over Frostburg State. Szarko's five goals so far this fall matches her total from last season. She is tied for second on the team in scoring with 16 points with forward Nina Scott. Midfielder Veerle Hersman leads the team in both goals scored (10) and points (23). She has been having a terrific sophomore campaign so far this fall.
 
Six players on the Golden Rams have scored three, or more, goals this season as evidence of the purple & gold's expanded offensive attack.
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS
Kutztown enters Saturday's game as the presumed newly-anointed No. 1 team in the country and one of only two undefeated teams in the Top 10 this week. The Golden Bears were the preseason No. 1 ranked team and stayed in that spot for the second week of the season. However, they dropped to No. 2 in each of the last three weeks, before rising back up to the top.
 
Kutztown has played for the Division II national championship in each of the past two seasons, winning the national title in 2023 and finishing runner-up last fall to Saint Anselm.
 
Marissa Rice and Erin Gonzalez each have reached double figures in goals scored already this season with 11 and 10 tallies, respectively. Gonzalez is a returning All-American for the Golden Bears up top. Rice is a scoring threat out of the midfield with excellent ball-handing skills.
 
WATCH ON YOUR TV - "PSAC SPORTS DIGITAL NETWORK" APPS
Fans can watch West Chester's games live and on-demand for free on the PSAC Sports Digital Network, produced by the Sports Fan Base Network (SFBN). Search for the PSAC Sports Digital Network in the app stores on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku and Android TV devices.
 
UP NEXT  
The Golden Rams will travel to Mansfield University over the weekend for a PSAC contest against the Mountaineers on Saturday at 1 p.m. West Chester defeated Mansfield, 3-2, at Vonnie Gros Field in a non-conference match last month.