MILLERSVILLE, Pa.- The West Chester University women's soccer team (2-0-1, 0-0-1) is preparing for its next PSAC East clash as the Golden Rams visit Millersville (0-3-1, 0-2-1) on Wednesday night in search of their first league win of the year after playing to a scoreless draw at Shippensburg earlier this month. As has been customary in recent years, kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from Pucillo Field at Millersville.
West Chester at Millersville
Game Details: September 17 I 7 P.M.
Location: Pucillo Field (Millersville, Pa.)
Coverage Links: Live Stats I
Video
Series: 26-10-3 (WCU 3-2 in last five meetings)
West Chester links: NEWS I
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SCHEDULE I
STATS
Millersville Links: NEWS I
ROSTER I
SCHEDULE I
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Last Time Out
West Chester heads into play on Wednesday well-rested after having its game against Mansfield on Saturday afternoon against Mansfield cancelled by the league office as part of a schedule realignment for Mansfield. West Chester improved to 2-0-1 on the year last Tuesday with a dominant 3-0 victory over No. 11 Jefferson. West Chester got a first-half lead courtesy of an own goal as
Lindsay Balmer (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) sent a dangerous cross into the box that caromed off a Jefferson defender to give the Golden Rams an early 1-0 lead. West Chester added a pair of goals in the second half as
Kianna Barber (Browns Mills, N.J./BCIT) and Maddie Mosier (Hockessin, Del./Padua) each scored in the second half to lift the Golden Rams to the 3-0 victory.
Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) was excellent in goal for West Chester, making 10 saves to earn her third shutout of the season.
Flock Talk
Faith Matter (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) leads the team in scoring with one goal and one assist for three points on the year. Matter picked up her first assist of the season and the 32
nd of her career on Tuesday in the win over Jefferson, which moved her into a tie with Sarah Oswald for the most career assists in team history. Barber, Mosier, and
Makayla Condela (Merrick, N.Y./Calhoun) have all added goals of their own this season as well.
Keen has been excellent in goal, going 2-0-1 to start the year with three shutouts and 15 saves through those three matches. With her three shutouts to open the year, Keen moved into sole possession of sixth place on the career shutout chart. Keen also moved into a tie for eighth in team history in wins at 28-10-6 as she embarks on her third season as the Golden Rams starting keeper.
Standing Tall
Keen's three shutouts have caught the attention of the soccer world early this season as the junior keeper was named Top Drawer Soccer Division II Women's Player of the Week.
Schedule Shake Up
The PSAC East learned of a schedule adjustment last week as Mansfield made a request to the league office for a reduced schedule due to low roster numbers. With this request, Mansfield will only play each member school once, and the games will not be included in league standings; however, they will be counted for NCAA Tournament selection purposes. With this, West Chester will only face Mansfield on October 11 in Mansfield, while Millersville will still be able to host Mansfield on September 27, avoiding the road trip to the Mounties later in the season.
Series History
West Chester is 26-10-3 vs Millersville all-time, including wins in three of the last five meetings. A season ago, Millersville stunned West Chester on Rockwell Field by a 3-1 final, marking the Marauders' first win in West Chester since September 2004. However, the Golden Rams exacted revenge with a 4-1 victory at Millersville in November. In November's meeting, Matter recorded a hat trick, scoring two of her three goals in the first half, while
Alyson Cutter scored the lone other goal for the Golden Rams. West Chester ended the game with a 14-13 lead in shots and a 6-4 lead in corner kicks in this victory.
Scouting Millersville
Millersville enters play on Wednesday night in search of its first win of the season after going 0-3-1 (0-2-1 PSAC East) to open the year. The Marauders started the season with a 3-2 loss against Saint Michael's on September 4, and things have not gotten easier from there as the team played to a 1-1 draw against East Stroudsburg in its home opener before falling to Kutztown by a 4-1 final on September 10 and Bloomsburg 3-2 on Saturday afternoon.
The Marauders are led by a familiar crew, as Isabel Coy, who had a strong game against West Chester in the first meeting between the two rivals last year, is still a top name on the scouting report for the Marauders. Coy is tied for third on the team in scoring with one goal, while Aubrey Strohecker and Sara Edwards are first and second on the team in scoring with three goals and one assist for seven points and one goal and two assists for four points, respectively. Maia Iannuzzi has also scored a goal this year, while Livia Messenger and Nikki Tonello each have one assist to their credit. In goal, Emma Moss has earned the start in three of four games and is 0-2-1 with a 2.67 goals-against average, while Sabrina Zimmerman is 0-1 with a 3.00 goals-against average after starting against Bloomsburg on Senior Day a year ago.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Saturday at Bloomsburg beginning at 4 p.m.
