West Chester vs Kutztown
Game Details: March 26 I 4 P.M.
Location: Vonnie Gros Field (West Chester, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I Video
Series: 26-2 (W25)
WCU Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Kutztown Links: NEWS I ROSTER I SCHEDULE I STATS
Last Time Out
West Chester was in action only once last week, playing host to PSAC East rival Millersville as the Golden Rams used a big fourth quarter, which saw the team outscore its guests 7-1 to earn a 22-11 victory. Close throughout the afternoon, Millersville stayed within striking distance throughout the game and trailed by just five heading into the fourth. The Marauders 11 goals mark just the fourth time since 2007 that they have scored over 10 goals against West Chester and the third time since 2022. 11 goals is also the third most the Marauders have scored against the Golden Rams, trailing a record 14 in 1989 in a 14-13 win over WCU and 12 in a 24-12 Golden Ram win at Millersville in April 2023. Morgan Koons (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood) and Hannah Cornelius (5-0) (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) split the game in goal, with Koons making two saves in the first half while Cornelius made four stops in the second half to secure the victory. West Chester ended the game with a 29-19 lead in shots, a 26-17 lead in shots on goal, and a 16-13 lead in turnovers after playing a turnover-free fourth quarter. West Chester was 11-for-12 on clear attempts, while Millersville went just 8-for-12 on its clears, including a 4-for-7 effort in the final three quarters. The third-ranked Golden Rams also ended the game with a 17-15 lead in ground balls and a 20-16 lead in draw controls thanks to a 9-2 advantage in the first quarter.
Flock Talk
After scoring 10 goals on Wednesday, Barnett remains first on the team in scoring with 40 goals and nine assists for 49 points this season. Barnett is second in the PSAC in goals this year and first in the league in goals per game, averaging 5.71, while also accumulating 29 draw controls, nine ground balls, and 19 caused turnovers. Piper Hammond (Tucson, Ariz/Southridge) is first in ground balls with 18. Kendall Fortune (Jarrettsville, Md./North Harford) is second on the team in scoring with 20 goals and nine assists for 29 points, while Sydney Wasdick (Pottsgrove, Pa./Pottsgrove) is third with 22 goals on the season, also leading the team in draw controls with 36. Madeline Edinger (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) and McMahon Skates have also provided good depth for head coach Ginny Martino’s squad this year, scoring 10 and 11 goals, respectively, along with six and seven assists for 16 and 18 points on the year.
West Chester is 27-for-50 (54.0%) on free positions this year, while its opponents are just 9-for-18 through seven games. The Golden Rams also hold a 164-112 lead in ground balls, a 141-97 lead in turnovers (95-48 in caused turnovers), and a 124-91 lead in draw controls. West Chester is also 118-for-130 (90.8 %) on its clear attempts, while the defense holds opponents to a 69.8 % (88-of-126) success rate.
Filling The Shoes
Koons and Cornelius have done an admirable job filling the void left by the graduation of multiple-time All-American Jessica Gorr. Cornelius is 5-0 with an 8.64 goals-against average after earning the start in the first five games of the season. Koons earned her first win in relief of Cornelius vs ESU earlier in the month and got her first start and complete-game win against Shippensburg two Sunday’s ago. Cornelius is now 2-0 in goal with a 7.59 goals-against average.
Rank and File
West Chester climbed to second in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll this week while remaining third in the USA Lacrosse Magazine poll. Kutztown is ranked 14th in the IWLCA poll and 18th in the USA Lacrosse Magazine poll after going 1-1 last week, including an 18-9 loss to No. 13 ESU at home on Wednesday, marking its third loss in as many games.
A Historic Day
Barnett scored a career-high 10 goals in the victory over Millersville last Wednesday, adding an assist for 11 points. Barnett’s 10-goal effort is tied for the second most in a single game in program history, while she is the second Golden Ram to score 10 goals in a game in the last two seasons, joining Hannah Stanislawczyk, who achieved the same feat against Shepherd last April, as the lone other. Midway through this outstanding 10-goal effort, Barnett scored her 200th career goal, becoming just the fifth player in team history to eclipse 200 goals.
Home Sweet Home
West Chester will look to finish off its eight-game homestand a perfect 8-0 On Wednesday afternoon, No. 14/18 Kutztown visits Vonnie Gros Field.
Flexing the Muscle
West Chester has outscored opponents 137-57 so far this season, including a 48-13 advantage in the first quarter and 27-12 leads in the third and fourth.
Series History
West Chester holds a 26-2 lead all-time over Kutztown, including wins in each of the last 25 meetings. West Chester’s most recent victory was over Kutztown in the PSAC Championship game by a slim 12-11 margin, a result the Golden Bears will surely be looking to avenge on Wednesday afternoon.
Scouting Kutztown
Led by four goals from Sam Graf and three from Lailah Elbouzzaoui, Kutztown halted its three-game skid with a 14-7 victory over Shippensburg after outscoring the visiting Raiders 8-3 in the second half in Kutztown on Saturday afternoon. Kutztown found itself in a tight game early, leading 3-2 at the end of one and 6-4 at the half, but outscored its foes 3-0 in the third quarter and 5-3 in the fourth to roll to the seven-goal victory. Marisa Bragg earned the win in goal, making seven saves in 52 minutes of action, while Emma Taylor made one save and allowed one goal in the last eight minutes.
Graf is third in the league in goals this year, scoring 35 along with 11 assists for 46 points on the season. ElBouzzaoui is second in scoring with 24 goals and nine assists for 33 points, while Lauren Lamorte and Olivia Eilbacher are third and fourth with 22 (15 G 7 A) and 20 (10 G 10 A), respectively. Summer Davis leads the team in caused turnovers and ground balls with 28 and 35, while ElBouzzaoui is first on draw controls with 37, along with 36 from Graf.
In goal, Bragg has been the starter throughout the year, going 6-3 between the pipes with a 9.27 goals-against average and 70 saves in just under 500 minutes of play.
As a team, Kutztown enters play, outscoring its opponents 114-83 on the year, with 18 (18-for-44) of those goals coming from free positions. The Golden Bears hold a slim 187-164 lead in ground balls and a 185-136 lead in turnovers (99-73 in caused turnovers), along with a 115-113 lead in draw controls. Kutztown clears the ball at an 82.9 % (165-of-199) clip, while its ride holds opponents to a 78.6 % (151-of-192) success rate.
