SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.V.- Riding a 10-game unbeaten streak and a five-game winning streak, the No. 16 West Chester University women's soccer team (10-1-3, 7-1-3) will put these streaks on the line once again on Wednesday afternoon when the Golden Rams visit Shepherd (6-1-5, 5-1-5) for a crucial PSAC East clash beginning at 1 p.m.
West Chester at Shepherd
Match Details: October 29 I 1 P.M.
Location: Shepherdstown, W.V.
Series: 9-1-2
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Last Time Out
West Chester stretched its unbeaten streak to 10, along with its winning and shutout streaks to five, on Saturday afternoon with a 1-0 win over Bloomsburg, courtesy of a mid-second-half goal by sophomore sensation
Kianna Barber (Browns Mills, N.J./BCIT). Barber's goal in the 69
th minute broke a scoreless tie and was the difference maker in a game, which saw West Chester finish with a 22-4 lead in shots, an 11-3 lead in shots on goal, and an 11-0 lead in corners.
Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) was tough in goal as usual, making three saves to post her eighth clean sheet of the season.
Flock Talk
At 10-1-3 with a 0.32 goals-against average and eight shutouts, Keen is proving herself once again to be one of the top keepers in the PSAC in 2025. Keen leads the league in goals-against average, save percentage (.922), and shutouts with eight as she has helped the Golden Rams rise to the top of the Eastern Division standings once again. To this end, Keen has not allowed a goal since midway through the first half in a 1-1 draw against Shepherd earlier in the season. Keen also ranks third in Division II in save percentage, trailing only Lauren McAlpine of second-ranked Minnesota State and Erin Grabeel of 17
th-ranked Francis Marion.
Offensively, Barber leads the team in scoring with seven goals and two assists for 16 points, while
Faith Matter (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) is close behind with five goals and five assists for 15 points.
Lindsey Balmer (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) is third in scoring with five goals and two assists for 12 points, followed by
Victoria Pungello (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) in fourth with three goals and three assists for nine points.
Lauren Reimold (Chester Springs, Pa./Downingtown East) rounds out the top five on the Golden Ram scoring chart with two goals and three assists for seven points on the year. West Chester has been very versatile offensively this season, as 11 different players have scored a goal, and five more have at least a point to their name via an assist.
The Race for the PSAC
West Chester currently resides in first place atop the PSAC East with 24 points heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. The race for the PSAC East is far from over as the five-team field is set, but is separated by just four points as Kutztown (7-4-1) is second with 22 points, followed by Millersville (6-4-3) in third with 21, and Shepherd (5-1-5) and Bloomsburg (6-3-2) are close behind with 20 points each. West Chester has season series sweeps over Kutztown and Bloomsburg, a split with Millersville, and a tie at home against Shepherd earlier this season.
We Are Honored
Pungello and Keen swept PSAC East Athlete of the Week honors last week after posting a 2-0 victory over Kutztown behind two goals from Pungello and a 1-0 win over No. 18 Bloomsburg on Saturday.
How About No
Since a 2-1 loss at Millersville in early September, West Chester is 8-0-2 with the lone two draws being against Bloomsburg on September 20 (1-1) and Shepherd on October 4 (1-1). West Chester already exacted revenge for its 1-1 draw at Bloomsburg on Saturday afternoon with a 1-0 win over the Huskies to win the season series and will be looking to do the same on Wednesday afternoon in West Virginia.
West Chester's defense has been the textbook definition of stingy this year; some might even call the Golden Rams Scrooge-like in the lack of attempts opponents have mustered this season. West Chester has limited its foes to just four goals (0.29/gm) on 109 shots (7.8/gm), with only 52 (47.7 %) of these shots finding their way on goal. West Chester has not allowed an opponent to take more than four shots on goal in a game since a 1-0victory over Millersville on October 8, when the Marauders managed to take six shots on goal against the Golden Ram defense. Things do not get any easier for opponents if they can unleash a shot on goal, as Keen has been exceptional this year, posting a record of 10-1-3 with a 0.32 goals-against average and a hand in 11 shutouts, including eight solo shutouts.
Rank and File
West Chester continued its climb through the Division II Women's Soccer Coaches poll this week, rising to 16
th in Division II after downing Bloomsburg, who was ranked 18
th heading into play on Saturday and is now ranked 21
st. Shepherd was in the top-25 for much of the early part of the season, but has since slipped from the national rankings at 6-1-5 on the year.
Thank You Seniors
West Chester will return home for its final regular-season home game on Saturday against Lock Haven, beginning at 2 p.m. Prior to that game, West Chester will honor
Mia Amen, Sam Hollish,
Faith Matter,
Jacqueline Graham,
Kaitlin Caban,
Olivia Conroy,
Jenna Fox, and
Victoria Pungello.
Series History
West Chester is 9-1-2 all-time against Shepherd after splitting the season series a year ago and playing to a draw earlier this season. Since 2023, West Chester is just 2-1-1 against the Rams, including a 1-0 loss in West Chester last November to conclude the regular season. West Chester has never lost to Shepherd in West Virginia, posting a 4-0-1 record, outscoring the Rams 9-1 in those five games.
Scouting Shepherd
Shepherd (6-1-5, 5-1-5) enters play on a three-game winning streak after defeating East Stroudsburg, Shippensburg, and Lock Haven by 4-0 finals. This winning streak came on the heels of a four-match winless streak, during which the Rams tied Bloomsburg (2-2), Millersville (1-1), and West Chester (1-1) before losing 1-0 to Kutztown on October 8.
While it's 18-0 bludgeoning of Mansfield early in the season certainly inflates its offensive statistics, Shepherd ranks among the top scoring teams in Division II, sitting in a tie for 12
th in scoring with 40 goals, thanks to Anaya Lozano and her 10 goals on the year, which ranks her in a tie for first in DII in goals per game. Merritt Delk is second on the team in scoring with seven goals and six assists, while Reagan Ackerman is third with five goals and five assists for 15 points. Josei Beezel is close behind with three goals and a team-best six assists, while Lydia Gable rounds out the top five with four goals and four assists for 12 points on the year.
In goal, Hannah Wilt is 5-1-5 with a 0.64 goals-against average and five shutouts on the season. Wilt has made 21 saves on the year and has a 0.750 save percentage in her 11 matches.
Up Next
West Chester will return home on Saturday to take on Lock Haven for a Senior Day tilt beginning at 2 p.m. on Rockwell Field. Fans are encouraged to arrive early and expect traffic with a home football game against Bloomsburg beginning at 12 p.m. Senior Day ceremonies will occur prior to the game on Saturday afternoon.
