WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Riding a four-game unbeaten, three-game winning, and three-game shutout streak, the West Chester University women's soccer team (5-1-2, 3-1-2) is set for its next challenge as the Golden Rams welcome No. 17 Shepherd (3-0-4, 2-0-4) to Rockwell Field on Saturday afternoon for a 12 p.m. start.
West Chester vs Shepherd
Match Details: Saturday, October 4 I 12 P.M.
Location: Rockwell Field (West Chester, Pa.)
Series: 9-1-1
Coverage Links: Live Stats I
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WCU Links: NEWS I
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Shepherd Links: NEWS I
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FAN ADVISORY
Fans are encouraged to arrive early and expect delays coming to Rockwell Field on Saturday afternoon, as Saturday is also Homecoming in West Chester. Always a large draw, the West Chester football team (3-1) will play host to rival East Stroudsburg across South New Street in Farrell Stadium beginning at 2 p.m. Traffic for this event is expected to begin building early in the morning, with lots opening at 8 a.m. Fans are also advised that lots around South Campus are paid lots due to the home football game, parking will be
$10, and it is
cashless/card only.
LAST TIME OUT
West Chester stretched its unbeaten streak to four and its shutout streak to three on Wednesday afternoon with a 2-0 victory over East Stroudsburg for its third shutout victory in as many games.
Lauren Reimold (Chester Springs, Pa./Downingtown East) scored her first career goal and the game-winner with a shot from distance in the first half before
Kianna Barber (Browns Mills, N.J./BCIT) scored her fifth goal of the year and fifth in sixth games in the second half for an important insurance goal.
Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) was excellent in goal, making four saves to earn her sixth shutout in eight starts.
FLOCK TALK
Keen has been strong in goal this season, playing to a record of 5-1-2 with a 0.39 goals-against average and six shutouts while making 29 saves in 699 minutes of work. Keen has played all but 22 minutes in goal this season, with
Sam Hollish (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) handling the balance as she entered in relief of Keen in a 4-0 victory over Lock Haven on Saturday night.
Barber earned PSAC East Athlete of the Week honors this week after scoring both game-winning goals last week, including the lone goal in the win over Kutztown on Wednesday afternoon. With these two goals and her most recent goal yesterday, Barber is now first on the team in scoring with five goals and one assist for 11 points.
Faith Matter (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) is second on the team in scoring with three goals and three assists for nine points, while
Lindsey Balmer (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) is second with two goals and an assist for five points.
RANK AND FILE
West Chester, which is knocking on the door of the top 25 after a pair of wins last week and another victory this week, which extended its unbeaten streak to four games and its shutout streak to three consecutive, will be back in action against another ranked opponent on Saturday in No. 17 Shepherd. West Chester is 1-0-1 against ranked competition this year, having defeated No. 11 Jefferson early in the season and playing to a 1-1 draw at Bloomsburg later in September.
NOTHING FOR YOU!
West Chester is a perfect 4-0 at home this year and has yet to allow a goal on Rockwell Field, outscoring opponents 8-0 through those four games, including a 3-0 victory over No. 11 Jefferson on September 9, a 1-0 victory over Kutztown, and a 2-0 win over East Stroudsburg on Wednesday. West Chester has allowed just three goals all season, surrendering a pair in a 2-1 loss at Millersville on September 17 and another in a 1-1 draw at Bloomsburg on September 20.
HOT STREAK
Barber has been among the best players in Division II in recent weeks, as the sophomore forward already has five goals and an assist for 11 points on the season has done all of this scoring since September 9
th. Since her first goal of the year in the 3-0 win over Jefferson, Barber has scored a goal in five of six games and added an assist at Lock Haven on Saturday. The sophomore scored the game-winner in both games last week to earn PSAC East Athlete of the Week honors and has now scored a goal in three consecutive games.
SERIES HISTORY
West Chester is 9-1-1 against Shepherd after splitting the season series against the upstart Rams for the first time a year ago. West Chester was the first team to hand Shepherd a loss last year in West Virginia by a 1-0 final before suffering a home loss to the Rams on Rockwell Field in late November.
SCOUTING SHEPHERD
Shepherd enters play on Saturday at 3-0-4 overall and 2-0-4 in league play, following a 2-2 and 1-1 draw in each of its last two games. Shepherd's last victory was an 18-0 demolition of Mansfield on September 20 and was its second win in a row after also defeating Kutztown by a 2-0 final on the road on September 17.
While perhaps a bit inflated from its 18-goal victory in mid-September, a mark that no other team in the PSAC has reached this season, Anaya Lozano is first on the team in scoring with nine goals and one assist for 19 points on the year. Merritt Delk and Reagan Ackerman are second on the team in goals with four each, while Delk has four assists for 12 points, and Ackerman has two assists for 10 points of her own.
In goal, Hannah Wilt is 2-0-4 with a 0.84 goals-against average, while Kendall Wright is 1-0-0 with one shutout to her credit.
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. Search for the PSAC Sports Digital Network in the app stores on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, and Android TV devices.
UP NEXT
West Chester will be back in action on Wednesday afternoon vs Millersville, beginning at 2 p.m.
