WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The 15
th-ranked West Chester University women's soccer team (6-1-1, 4-1-1) returns to action on Wednesday afternoon at home against Shepherd (8-1-0, 7-1-0) in a rematch of the 2025 Atlantic Region Championship game beginning at 2 p.m. on Rockwell Field.
West Chester vs. Shepherd
Game Details: September 30 – 2 P.M. | Rockwell Field (West Chester, Pa.)
Series: 10-2-3
Coverage Links: Live Stats I
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WCU Links: NEWS I
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STATS
Shepherd Links: NEWS I
ROSTER I
SCHEDULE I
STATS
Five Things to Know
- Following its first loss of the season, a 1-0 setback at Kutztown last Wednesday, the West Chester University women's soccer team got right back in the win column on Saturday afternoon at Lackawanna as the Golden Rams rolled to a 5-1 win. West Chester scored four goals in the first 35 minutes of the match, including Brielle Zink's (Islip, N.Y./Islip) second of the season in the 27th minute, which went as the eventual game-winner after Kaylee Nagle (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) had opened the scoring just over two minutes into the game. Grace Trott (Fulton, Md./Mount De Sales Academy), Emma Suhoski (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood), and Jenna Eichenbaum (West Long Branch, N.J./Shore Regional) all added goals in the victory.
- Jordan Nguyen (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Central) leads West Chester in scoring with five goals and an assist for 11 points on the year after her hat trick performance against Mansfield, which led to her earning PSAC East Athlete of the Week honors last week. Suhoski is second in goals with three and is tied with Trott and Kianna Barber (Browns Mills, N.J./BCIT) for second in scoring with six points each. Barber and Trott have two goals and two assists each. Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) is 6-1-1 in goal with a 0.44 goals-against average and 15 saves with four shutouts in eight starts.
- Under new leadership following the departure of Sam Odell and company for USC Upstate following the 2025 season, Shepherd is 8-1-0 to open the year and 7-1-0 in league action following a 2-0 win over Mansfield on Saturday for its fifth win in a row.
- Shepherd has outscored its opponents 24-8 and has not allowed a goal since a 3-2 win over Bloomsburg on September 9, which started the five-game winning streak after a 5-3 loss to Kutztown on September 5. Merritt Delk and Regan Ackerman are the Rams' leading scorers early in 2026 with 19 and 11 points, respectively. Delk has scored nine goals with one assist, while Ackerman has four goals and three assists. Olivia Gardner is close behind with two goals and six assists for 10 points. In goal, Alex Stuart is 6-1-0 with a 1.17 goals-against average, 15 saves, and four shutouts in seven starts.
- West Chester improved to 10-2-3 all-time against Shepherd last November with a thrilling 1-0 win in the Atlantic Regional Championship match in the fourth meeting between the two teams in 2025. West Chester and Shepherd tied the regular-season matchups with a 1-1 draw in West Chester and a 2-2 draw in West Virginia before falling to the Rams in the PSAC Semifinals in West Chester in mid-November, which helped the Rams claim the top seed in the Atlantic Regional Tournament. Forced to make the trek to West Virginia for the Atlantic Regional Championship, West Chester prevailed late on an 85th-minute goal by Barber to send the team back to the National Quarterfinals. West Chester is seeking its first regular-season win over Shepherd since October 2004 and is 5-2-1 against the Rams in West Chester after last November's PSAC Semifinal loss on Rockwell Field.
Up Next
West Chester remains home on Saturday afternoon to host Bloomsburg beginning at 2:30 in the second game of a doubleheader on Rockwell Field. West Chester has also designated Saturday's game as Alumni Day, as the Golden Rams will welcome back women's soccer alumni in attendance throughout the afternoon.
