WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The 16
th-ranked West Chester University women's soccer team (11-1-4, 9-1-4) returned home on Saturday afternoon to host Lock Haven (4-9-2, 3-9-2) on Senior Day. West Chester took an early first-half lead and stretched its lead to 2-0 before the 60
th minute in a 2-1 Senior Day triumph over the Bald Eagles.
This afternoon's victory gives West Chester at least a share of its first PSAC East Regular Season crown since 2022 and also gives the Golden Rams hosting rights for the PSAC Tournament when that begins on November 11.
West Chester will host the winner of the West 4 vs West 5 game, which is to be played on November 8
th in the Quarterfinals, on the 11th, and with a win, would host PSAC Championship weekend on November 14 and 16. If West Chester wins its way into the Semifinals, it would mark the first time since 2017 that the Golden Rams have hosted PSAC Championship weekend on Rockwell Field as the team searches for its third PSAC Tournament title in four years.
Before the game, West Chester honored its senior class, which included
Samantha Hollish,
Jenna Fox,
Jacqueline Graham,
Mia Amen,
Victoria Pungello, Kaitlin Caba,
Faith Matter, and
Olivia Conroy.
Once senior day festivities concluded, West Chester did not wait long to open the scoring as
Kianna Barber (Browns Mills, N.J./BCIT) scored her eighth of the year on a rocket from distance in the 14
th minute off a
Victoria Pungello (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) corner to give the Golden Rams an early 1-0 lead.
This lead held up into the halftime break as West Chester ended the first half with a 6-0 lead in shots, a 2-0 lead in shots on goal, and a 4-0 lead in corners.
Lock Haven pressured early in the second half but struggled to get a shot off against the Golden Ram defense, mustering seven chances in the half with three finding their way on goal in the first 35 minutes of the second half.
In the meantime,
Katie Dougherty (Glenmoore, Pa./Downingtown West) found an ideal time for her first collegiate goal as the rookie converted a header off another Pungello corner in the 57
th minute, which gave West Chester a 2-0 lead.
This two-goal advantage would prove important later as Lock Haven finally capitalized on its continued pressure in the 84
th minute when Lauren Straub took a high-arcing shot from outside the box that found the back of the net off an assist from Brooke Gehret to cut the deficit to 2-1.
This was Lock Haven's final shot of the afternoon as the Golden Ram defense stiffened, as the hosts outshot their guests by a 6-0 margin in the final six-and-a-half minutes to finish the match with a 29-7 lead in shots and a 9-4 lead in shots on goal, along with an 11-1 lead in corners.
Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) got the start for West Chester once again and earned her 11
th win of the season with three saves.
Samantha Hollish (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) entered in relief late and helped finish off the 2-1 victory.
Megan Miller was excellent in goal for Lock Haven, making seven saves to help slow the dangerous West Chester offense.'
Up Next
West Chester will conclude its regular season on Wednesday night at East Stroudsburg, beginning at 7 p.m. West Chester will need only a point in this game to earn the outright PSAC East crown.
