WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Riding an 11-game unbeaten streak, the 16
th-ranked West Chester University women's soccer team (10-1-4, 7-1-4) heads into Saturday knowing that a Senior Day victory over Lock Haven (4-8-2, 2-8-2) would give the team at least a share of its first PSAC East Regular Season crown since 2022. The latest chapter in the rivalry between the Golden Rams and Bald Eagles is set to begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
West Chester vs Lock Haven
Match Details: Saturday, November 1 I 2 P.M.
Location: Rockwell Field (West Chester, Pa.)
Series: 28-6-3
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Fan Advisory
Fans are encouraged to arrive early and expect potential traffic in the area on Saturday afternoon, as the Golden Rams football team faces Bloomsburg in Farrell Stadium at 12 p.m. Saturday is also Senior Day on Rockwell Field; the ceremony is expected to be held before the match.
Last Time Out
West Chester put its 10-game unbeaten streak and five-game winning streak to the test on Wednesday afternoon at Shepherd, settling for a 2-2 draw, which extended the unbeaten streak to 11. West Chester found itself trailing by a goal early, but
Lauren Reimold (Chester Springs, Pa./Downingtown East) got the match tied before halftime with a goal in the 34
th minute before
Olivia Conroy (Toms River, N.J./Donovan Catholic) gave West Chester a 2-1 lead with a goal in the 51
st minute. Despite West Chester taking just four shots and only two shots on goal, it appeared as if this one-goal lead might be enough to leave West Virginia with a victory for the second year in a row until Reagan Ackerman scored the tying goal with under five minutes to play, forcing the 2-2 draw.
Shepherd ended the game with a 10-4 lead in shots, a 5-2 lead in shots on goal, and a 5-3 lead in corners.
Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) worked hard in goal once and while her shutout streak was halted, the senior keeper still made three important second-half saves to help West Chester stretch its unbeaten streak to 11.
Flock Talk
With her game-winner on Saturday,
Kianna Barber (Browns Mills, N.J./BCIT) took back the team scoring lead with 17 points thanks to seven goals and three assists.
Faith Matter (Middletown, Pa./Middletown), who is continuing her bid for her third Player of the Year honor and fourth PSAC Major Award in four years, is second on the team in scoring with five goals and five assists for 15 points, while
Lindsey Balmer (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) is close behind with five goals and two assists for 12 points.
Victoria Pungello (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) and Reimold round out the top five with 10 points (3 goals/4 assists) and nine points (3 goals/3 assists), respectively.
In goal, Keen has started all 15 games and is 10-1-4 on the year with a 0.44 goals-against average and 50 saves, posting an .893 save percentage.
Samantha Hollish (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) will be one of the Golden Rams celebrating Senior Day on Saturday, and the senior keeper has logged 108 scoreless minutes in three games, helping West Chester to three shutout victories already this season.
Rank and File
West Chester climbed to 16
th in the United Soccer Division II Coaches poll this week after breaking into the rankings two weeks ago and being ranked 21
st last week.
West Chester also appeared in the first NCAA Atlantic Regional rankings of the year on Wednesday afternoon. These rankings were alphabetical, only showing the teams under consideration for formal ranking next Wednesday.
With a Win
With a win on Saturday, West Chester will clinch at least a share of the PSAC East Regular Season crown and earn the top-seed in the PSAC Tournament, which includes PSAC Championship weekend hosting rights, provided that the Golden Rams win their quarterfinal matchup on November 11.
We Are Honored
West Chester swept PSAC East Athlete of the Week honors earlier this week as Pungello and Keen swept Athlete and Defensive Athlete of the Week honors after two big wins over Kutztown and Bloomsburg.
The Gauntlet
West Chester wrapped up a gauntlet stretch of sorts on Wednesday afternoon with a 2-2 draw at Shepherd, finishing a three-game stretch against the Rams, Kutztown, and Bloomsburg at 2-0-1 and in firm control of the PSAC East heading into the final days of the regular season.
Home Sweet Home
West Chester has been nothing short of magnificent at home this season, playing to a record of 7-0-1 on Rockwell Field and outscoring opponents 15-1 at home this season with shutouts in seven of those eight games, including a 3-0 victory over Jefferson, which remains the Rams' lone loss of the season. The only team to score on West Chester at home so far this season was Shepherd on October 4 in a 1-1 draw.
Thank You Seniors
Before Saturday's game, West Chester will honor its senior class, which includes Sam Hollish,
Jenna Fox,
Jacqueline Graham,
Mia Amen,
Victoria Pungello,
Kaitlin Caban,
Faith Matter, and
Olivia Conroy. This group has helped West Chester win two PSAC Championships and reach the Atlantic Regional final in each of its first two seasons, including 2022, when the team advanced to the National Championship game for the first time in program history.
Series History
West Chester holds a 28-6-3 mark against Lock Haven in the all-time series. The Golden Rams have won the last 18 matchups, including a 4-0 win earlier this season dating back to 2013.
Scouting Lock Haven
Lock Haven (4-8-2, 2-8-2) enters play on Saturday following a2-0 road win over Shippensburg, which halted a two-game losing streak and improved the Bald Eagles to 2-4-1 away from home this season. In this win on Wednesday evening, Olivia Hudson gave the Bald Eagles an early 1-0 lead with a goal just under 16 minutes into the match before Maci Shaffer doubled the lead in the 60
th minute with the first goal of her career to help the visiting Bald Eagles soar to a 2-0 victory. Lock Haven finished the match with an 11-8 lead in shots, including a 6-3 lead in shots on goal, despite Shippensburg ending the evening with a 5-2 lead in corners.
With her goal on Wednesday evening, Hudson moved into solo first place on the team scoring chart with a team-high three goals for six points. Shaffer's first career goal moved her into second on the scoring chart with one goal and two assists for four points. Lock Haven has had nine different players score a goal this season, and four more have added an assist, giving the Bald Eagles 13 players with a point entering the final Saturday of the regular season. In goal, Megan Miller is 4-7-2 on the year with a 1.60 goals-against average and 59 saves for a .747 save percentage. Miller has played and started in 13 games, logging 1,125 minutes in goal, while Riley Houck has played in two games and started in another, logging 135 minutes with a record of 0-1-0 and a 2.67 goals-against average in those two matches.
Up Next
West Chester will conclude its regular season next Wednesday night at East Stroudsburg, beginning at 7 p.m.
