EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa.- After capturing a share of its first Divisional crown since 2022 on Saturday, the 15
th-ranked West Chester University women's soccer team (11-1-4, 8-1-4) will return to action on Wednesday night at East Stroudsburg (5-8-3, 3-8-3) for its regular-season finale beginning at 7 p.m.
West Chester at East Stroudsburg
Game Details: November 5 I 7 P.M.
Location: Gregory-Douds Field at Eiler-Martin Stadium (East Stroudsburg, Pa.)
Series: 35-14-6
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Last Time Out
West Chester capped off its regular-season home slate with a win on Saturday over Lock Haven by a 2-1 final.
Victoria Pungello (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) picked up Senior Day assists in the win as
Kianna Barber (Browns Mills, N.J./BCIT) and
Katie Dougherty (Glenmoore, Pa./Downingtown West) both converted corner kicks into goals in the East clinching win over the Bald Eagles. West Chester finished the game with a 29-7 lead in shots and a 9-4 lead in shots on goal, along with an 11-1 lead in corners.
Flock Talk
Barber scored her team-best eighth goal of the season on Saturday afternoon, which increased her point total to 19, as she also has three assists on the season.
Faith Matter (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) is second in scoring with five goals and five assists for 15 points, while
Lindsey Balmer (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) is tied with Pungello for third in scoring with 12 points each. Balmer has five goals and two assists, while Pungello has three goals and a team-high six assists.
In goal,
Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) held Lock Haven scoreless in her 79 minutes of action on Saturday as the junior keeper improved to 11-1-4 with a 0.41 goals-against average and eight solo shutouts (11 combined) on the season. Keen continues to lead the PSAC in goals-against average, save percentage, and shutouts entering the final week of the regular season.
With a Point
With just one point on Wednesday night (win or draw) at East Stroudsburg, West Chester will win its first outright PSAC East Regular Season title since 2022.
A Bakers Dozen?
West Chester is on an unbeaten 12-game streak, with wins in nine of those 12 matchups; the lone draws were against Bloomsburg and Shepherd.
Rank and File
West Chester rose to 16
th in the United Soccer rankings last week and went 1-0-1 in its season-high position, including its win over Lock Haven on Saturday, which helped the team climb to 15th in the rankings this week.
West Chester will also be watching for the first batch of numerical regional rankings on Wednesday afternoon as the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer committee will release its second of three regional rankings ahead of the selection show on November 17.
Coming to West Chester
West Chester clinched a share of the PSAC Regular Season title on Saturday afternoon with its 2-1 win over Lock Haven. By virtue of its sweep of Kutztown earlier in the season, West Chester will be the top seed in the PSAC Tournament and, with that, will host any PSAC Tournament games that it is a part of. With a win in the Quarterfinals on Tuesday, West Chester will host PSAC Championship weekend for the first time since 2017.
Series History
West Chester holds a 35-14-6 lead in the all-time series vs ESU after splitting the season series last year and winning the first meeting between the two rivals earlier this year.
Hello Coach
In order to extend its unbeaten streak to 13 in a row after a 2-1 win over Lock Haven on Saturday, head coach
Betty Ann Kempf Townsley will have to defeat a former player on Wednesday afternoon, East Stroudsburg head coach Meagan DeWan. DeWan is a 2007 graduate of Seton Hall and was a four-year member of the Pirates, who earned Big East honors and led the Pirates in assists and points as a junior in one of Kempf Townsley's final years at the helm of the Pirates.
Former WCU goalkeeper, Regan Allsop, is also a member of the East Stroudsburg coaching staff, beginning her first season on the Warriors bench.
Scouting ESU
East Stroudsburg (5-8-3, 3-8-3) heads into Wednesday evening looking to halt a six-game losing streak in its regular-season finale against the Golden Ram. Since a 1-0 win over Holy Family on October 7, East Stroudsburg has been on the losing end of each its lack six, including a 4-0 loss at Shepherd, a 1-0 loss at Lock Haven, a 2-1 loss to Millersville, a 2-1 loss at Bloomsburg, a 4-1 loss vs Kutztown, and a 2-0 loss at Shippensburg on Saturday afternoon.
Jade Wiley is the team leader in scoring with six goals and two assists for 14points, while Megan Cairns has one goal and one assist as one of five other Warriors with a goal this season. In goal, Emmy Clarkson is 4-7-3 on the year with a 1.43 goals-against average and four shutouts, while Ava Perrone is 1-1-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average, with her first and lone win of the season coming on October 4 against Mansfield.
Up Next
West Chester will shift its attention to the PSAC Tournament, which begins with the PSAC Quarterfinals on November 11 at 1 p.m. on Rockwell Field. West Chester will scoreboard-watch this weekend to see if it will be fourth-seeded Edinboro or fifth-seeded Clarion visiting West Chester on Tuesday afternoon.
