WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Kianna Barber (Browns Mills, N.J./BCIT) scored her third goal of the season and third in four games midway through the second half to lead the West Chester University women's soccer team (3-1-2, 1-1-2) to a 1-0 victory over Kutztown (5-2-0, 4-2-0) on Wednesday afternoon on Rockwell Field.
West Chester dominated possession throughout the afternoon and, in doing so, ended the game with a 25-5 lead in shots and a 14-1 lead in shots on goal, along with a 4-1 lead in corners.
West Chester got the first great chance of the match in the 15
th minute when
Katie Dougherty (Glenmoore, Pa./Downingtown West) put a diving shot on goal off a
Victoria Pungello (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) corner, but Morgan O'Donnell made a great diving stop to keep the game scoreless.
West Chester dominated possession throughout the first half, ending the half with a 12-1 lead in shots and a 7-0 lead in shots on goal, along with a 2-0 lead in corners.
Kutztown applied its first sustained pressure of the day on the Golden Ram defense late in the first half, but the Golden Ram defense was up to the task, doing a strong job of clearing the ball out of danger to keep the Golden Bears from getting a shot on goal before the end of the first half.
Corinne Morgan nearly broke the scoreless tie early in the second half on a breakaway chance, but her shot crept just over the crossbar to keep the game scoreless.
In the 56
th minute,
Kianna Barber (Browns Mills, N.J./BCIT) gave West Chester the lead as she snuck one in under the crossbar from distance off an assist by
Lauren Reimold (Chester Springs, Pa./Downingtown East) to give the Golden Rams a slim 1-0 lead.
In the 74
th minute,
Jacqueline Graham (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) took a shot from distance that O'Donnell blocked away,
Lindsay Balmer (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) followed the shot and nearly scored her second goal in as many games, but O'Donnell was able to grab it just in time to keep the Golden Bear deficit at 1-0.
In the 82
nd minute, Balmer sent a dangerous cross into the box and found the head of
Jenna Fox (Magnolia, Del./Polytech), but her chance went just wide as the lead remained 1-0.
Kutztown applied heavy pressure in the final minutes of the match and forced
Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) to make one leaping save, which resulted in the Golden Bears' first and only corner attempt of the day.
The West Chester defense was stifling late, making it difficult for Kutztown to get any shots on goal, as they successfully deflected the ball out of the box through the final minutes.
The Golden Rams killed off the last minutes of the match deep in Golden Bear territory with throw-in after throw-in to finish off the final nearly three minutes of the victory over the PSAC East leading Golden Bears.
O'Donnell was outstanding for Kutztown in the loss, making 13 saves, including six in the second half, to keep her side in the match throughout the afternoon.
Keen was credited with only one save on the stat sheet, but quarterbacked the defense well throughout the day, directing traffic in the midfield and coming off her line to stop some dangerous balls as they came into the box.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Saturday night at Lock Haven beginning at 7 p.m.
