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WEST CHESTER, Pa.- High preseason expectations are nothing new for head coach
Betty Ann Kempf Townsley and the West Chester University women's soccer team. What is different in 2025? The Golden Rams are searching for a return trip to the NCAA Tournament after missing the Dance for the first time since 2002 last fall.
West Chester went 10-7-1 a year ago, which was enough to host a PSAC Quarterfinal against Kutztown in early November. However, a 1-0 loss to the Golden Bears on Rockwell gave West Chester its third setback in four games and eventually brought the 2024 season to a close. With several familiar faces and renewed energy, the 2025 West Chester University women's soccer team is preparing for its first test of the new season against Mountain East Conference foe West Virginia State on Thursday, beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Rockwell Field.
"I've been pleased overall," started head coach
Betty Ann Kempf Townsley when asked about what she has seen out of her group through the first few weeks of the 2025 season. "The players came back in good fitness and have shown great energy. We have gotten the opportunity to see the team start growing and maturing already, which, even though it's still early days, is a great sign. We had two good scrimmages that proved we are going to be a team to entertain, and we're getting back into the postseason. However, we certainly have a lot of growth ahead. We can't be satisfied with winning two scrimmages in August; we need to make sure we continue to improve and grow to get back to where we want to be in November."
PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS
For the first time in recent memory, West Chester is unranked in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll; however, the Golden Rams were picked to finish second in the PSAC East Preseason Poll, trailing only 2024 Champion, Shepherd, who received seven first-place votes. West Chester earned one first-place vote in the preseason poll, while Kutztown earned one as well, and the Golden Bears were picked to finish third. Bloomsburg and East Stroudsburg rounded out the top five, while Millersville, Shippensburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield completed the PSAC East.
Gannon is the preseason favorite in the Western Division with seven first-place votes, followed by Slippery Rock, Indiana (Pa.), Seton Hill, and Pitt-Johnstown.
FLOCK TALK
The Golden Rams have a roster of over 30 players for the 2025 season. When asked about the depth this provides, Kempf Townsley said, "The depth is going to be huge. We started to see how deep we could be in the spring, and we've seen it even more so in these last two weeks. Being as deep as we are will give us a good chance to sub in quality players that can continue a competitive edge on the field and keep us healthy and fresh throughout the season."
As West Chester looks to return to the NCAA Tournament in 2025 after missing it for the first time since 2002 last season, returning a three-time PSAC East Major Award Winner and two-time United Soccer All-American,
Faith Matter (Middletown, Pa./Middletown), is an excellent place to start for head coach
Betty Ann Kempf Townsley and the Golden Rams.
Asked about the urgency of returning to the NCAA Tournament, Kempf Townsley said, "This team is driven. It starts with our senior class providing a lot of leadership and experience that no other player on the team has. They've played in some of the biggest games in our history and know what it takes to get to those games and be successful. We were all disappointed last fall, but we did a good job of educating the team on what kept us out of the Tournament last year and what it will take this year. It starts with playing a good West Virginia State team on opening day. It's a great opportunity for our team to face a team that won the Mountain East and made the NCAA Tournament last year."
A year ago, Matter earned PSAC East Player of the Year honors for the second year in a row and her third major award after earning PSAC East Rookie of the Year honors in 2022. With this latest Player of the Year honor, Matter found herself in elite company as one of three players to accomplish this feat. Entering her senior season, second all-time at WCU in career assists (31), fifth in points (89), and sixth (29) in goals, Matter is chasing Mani Brueckner of Gannon for the chance to become the only other player to be a three-time Conference Player of the Year.
In 2024, Matter led the Golden Rams in scoring with a team-high 11 assists and nine goals, which trailed only
Alyson Cutter, who turned in one of the most impressive senior seasons in recent memory, becoming the first Golden Ram to record two hat tricks in the span of three league games in the final weeks of the 2025 season.
Asked about the final chapter of Matter's historic career this fall, Kempf Townsley said, "Faith never ceases to amaze us with what she can do on the field. She looks really up to the task this year, and even though she isn't one of our three captains, she is truly a leader on the field for us with all that she has accomplished. This season, it'll be important to make sure she knows that she doesn't have to carry the team and be under so much pressure all the time, although we know we can certainly rely on her with how driven she is."
West Chester did graduate a strong senior class, led by another multiple-time PSAC East Rookie and Player of the Year combination in
Kaitlynn Haughey, along with Cutter,
Lauren Corless,
Jordyn Dupes, and
Paige Reali, who helped West Chester reach heights not seen before with a National Championship game appearance in 2022 and back-to-back PSAC Championships in 2022 and 2023.
Despite the graduation of these talented players, who accounted for 19 goals last season, West Chester does return a veteran presence in the midfield led by
Victoria Pungello (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial), who had a stellar season in 2024, which included two goals and three assists.
Kianna Barber (Browns, N.J./Burlington County Institute of Technology) will look to build off a freshman season, which certainly opened some eyes around the PSAC as she scored a pair of goals in 13 games off the bench for WCU and is the team's third returning scorer from the 2024 team.
Kempf Townsley was also excited by her midfield unit, saying, "This group looks to be really deep and has really impressed me early on this season. I think
Brielle Zink and
Kianna Barber took the next step in the Spring and have carried that over into the new season, and players like Vic (
Victoria Pungello) and Jenna (Fox) have both played so much since their freshman season. Our captains all embody the team-first mindset and have exceeded our expectations in fitness, strength, and desire, which has been a lot of fun to watch."
Another player the Golden Rams will look to see potentially big things from in 2025 will be
Lauren Reimold, who had a resurgent 2024 season after missing much of her rookie season due to injury. Asked about the junior midfielder, Kempf Townsley said, "Absolutely. She really turned it on in the spring and has developed into a great college player. Lauren had a strong summer season and has great fitness heading into the 2025 season. She is mentally playing with a lot of confidence and is a player who can really be a rock in the midfield for us."
Joining Pungello in the midfield is a strong group of returners, including
Mia Amen (West Chester, Pa./Rustin), Maddie Mosier (Hockessin, Del./Padua), Brielle Zink (Islip, N.Y./Islip), Lauren Reimold (Chester Springs, Pa./Downingtown East), Adriana Ryder (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert). Kate Alexander (East Islip, N.Y./East Islip), Sarah Roesing (Ambler, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham), Hannah Primwhere (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge), Olivia Conroy (Toms River, N.J./Donovan Catholic), Flora Hernandez (Philadelphia, Pa./Science Leadership Academy), Lily Pitcherella (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West), Lena Ackerman (Limerick, Pa./Spring Ford), Kaylee Nagle (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North), Sam Versnel (Bayville, N.J./Central Regional), Lindsey Balmer (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge), Hailey Primwhere (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge), Laura Caryl (Avon Lake, Oh/Avon Lake), and Olivia Myers (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside Chestnut Hill). are also expected to add important depth offensively as the Golden Rams look to manage the departures of Haughey, Corless and Cutter.
West Chester also returns a multiple-time All-League honoree on the backline in
Jacqueline Graham (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North), along with
Carley Slavin (Jenkintown, Pa./Abington) and
Jenna Fox (Magnolia, Del./Polytech) in the midfield who bring a veteran presence to the defense in front of two-year starter
Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove).
Kempf Townsley was also very complimentary of
Jacqueline Graham, who, alongside
Victoria Pungello and
Jenna Fox, is one of the captains of the 2025 Golden Rams, saying, "We will look to Jax to help lead our backline again. She has played here since day one, so she has a ton of great experience and is a player who is just so driven. She is a great role model to the rest of the team, especially the younger players."
Entering her third season as the starter in goal, West Chester will be looking for Keen to take the next step in her development after going 10-7-1 between the pipes a year ago with six shutouts and a 0.86 goals-against average. In just two seasons, Keen has already cracked the top 10 in both career wins and shutouts, moving into ninth in career wins last fall with 26, while her 17 shutouts are tied for eighth most in program history entering her junior season.
"Grace worked really hard over the summer, and I think she has taken the next step in her development," noted Kempf Townsley when asked about her junior keeper. "Grace is playing at a really high level so far this year, and I've really liked her leadership and the way she has gone about her work." Kempf Townsley was also complimentary of senior Sam Hollish, who enters the season as Keen's backup, saying, "I've been impressed by Sam early this season too. I have seen a definite transformation in her, and I think she is really pushing and providing a great competitive drive within our keeper group."
Head coach
Betty Ann Kempf Townsley also welcomes a strong group of newcomers to the fold in 2025, including
Domenica Rossi (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa), Katie Dougherty (Glenmoore, Pa./Downingtown West), Grace Trott (Fulton, Md/Mount De Sales Academy), Chloe Bucher (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg), Jordan Nguyen (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim), Abigail Hanneman (Point Pleasant Beach, N.J./Point Pleasant Boro), and Shelby Dougherty (Mohrsville, Pa./Hamburg), who will all begin their first seasons of college soccer when play gets underway on Thursday night. West Chester also welcomes a transfer,
Sydney Waits (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern), who comes to South Campus after beginning her career at Albany last fall.
"I've seen good things out of our newcomers early this season," said Kempf Townsley. "I think we have several players in this group who can contribute right away.
Katie Dougherty is one of the players who has really impressed us through camp. She is a tall center back who is really good in the air and can score with her head."
Rossi and Dougherty join
Sam Hollish (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) in providing excellent depth for West Chester in between the pipes yet again in 2025.
SCHEDULE OVERVIEW
For the first time in recent memory, West Chester will have two non-league games on its schedule, opening at home against West Virginia State on September 4 and hosting Jefferson on September 9, ahead of its PSAC East home opener on Saturday, September 13, against Mansfield at 1 p.m. The Golden Rams' matchup against Mansfield will be the second league test of the year for the Purple and Gold, as the team will open league action on September 6 at Shippensburg, beginning at 2 p.m.
OPENING UP
When West Chester takes the field on Thursday for a rematch of the 2022 NCAA Tournament Second Round game against West Virginia State, the Golden Rams will also be looking to improve to 20-0-4 in season openers dating back to 2001. Individually, Kempf Townsley is 13-0-3 in season openers and was unbeaten and untied in such games until the beginning of the 2018 campaign when East Stroudsburg earned a 1-1 draw against the Golden Rams. West Chester lacks significant history with West Virginia State, however, the history that does exist is certainly pleasant as it was a 1-0 NCAA Tournament opening victory over the Yellow Jackets thanks to a late goal from Jacqueline Hug, which sparked a historic run that saw the Golden Rams advance to the National Championship game in Seattle for the first time in program history against Western Washington.
