WEST CHESTER, Pa.- In a rematch of the 2024 Atlantic Regional final, the No. 3/4 West Chester University women's lacrosse team (5-0) exacted a measure of revenge for a heartbreaking loss on Vonnie Gros field last May as the Golden Rams held off 13
th-ranked East Stroudsburg for a 17-14 victory to open PSAC East play.
In a game between two of the top scorers in the league in
Keri Barnett (Glenolden, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) for West Chester and Sadie Kauffman for ESU, goals were a-plenty as the two sides combined for 31 goals, with Barnett and Kauffman accounting for 13 between the two of them.
Barnett led West Chester in scoring with six goals, while
Piper Hammond (Tucson, Ariz./Southridge) and
Lila McMahon Skates (West Linn, Ore./West Linn) scored three of their own to help bolster the Golden Ram offense.
Sydney Wasdick (Pottsgrove, Pa./Pottsgrove) chipped in two goals of her own in the high-scoring victory. Barnett also tied with McMahon Skates for the team lead in assists with three each, while leading the team in draw controls with eight and caused turnovers with four.
Wasdick came away with seven draw controls of her own, and
Madeline Edinger (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) led the team in ground balls with six while also tying with Hammond for second on the team in caused turnovers with two each.
Starting fast once again, West Chester got out to a 6-1 lead in the first quarter thanks to a pair of early goals by Barnett and two more from McMahon Skates late in the quarter to carry a 6-1 lead into the second quarter.
In the second, East Stroudsburg outscored WCU 7-6, closing the half on a 3-1 run to cut the third-ranked Golden Rams' lead to 12-8 heading into the halftime break.
Campbell Heller had made the lead just three with under two minutes to play in the first half before a late
Piper Hammond (Tucson, Ariz./Southridge) tally restored a four-goal lead at the midway point.
ESU did not waste any time getting the lead back to three as Sadie Kauffman scored another of her seven on the afternoon just over a minute into the second half as part of another 3-1 Warrior run, which saw the guests cut the deficit to just two (13-11) with six minutes to play in the third quarter.
West Chester scored a pair of important goals to halt this run as Wasdick scored with 3:34 to play in the third before Hammond notched her third goal of the afternoon off a picture-perfect feed from Barnett to restore a 15-11 lead.
The Warriors would not go away quietly, scoring the final goal of the third and two of the first three goals of the fourth, including a player-down goal with 3:41 to play by Kauffman for her seventh and final goal of the afternoon. This tally cut the lead to 16-14, but West Chester was able to outpossess its guests over the final three minutes and got a vital insurance goal by Barnett with 1:11 to play in regulation to seal a 17-14 victory.
Morgan Koons earned her first career victory on Wednesday night, playing 33 of the 60 minutes in goal and making seven saves in the victory. Abby Simonetti backstopped the Warriors throughout the night and made 17 saves in an effort to slow the potent Golden Ram offense.
West Chester ended the game with a 40-26 lead in shots, including a 34-22 lead in shots on goal, while also finishing the night with an 11-18 lead in turnovers, a 17-14 lead in ground balls, and a 20-15 lead in draw controls.
West Chester was 5-for-9 on free positions in the victory, while ESU was 3-for-4. West Chester was also 22-for-25 on clearing attempts, including a 17-for-17 effort through the first three quarters, while ESU was 13-for-16 on its clear attempts.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Sunday afternoon vs Shippensburg, beginning at 1 p.m.
