Currently ranked No. 2 in the nation, the West Chester women’s soccer team continued to dominate the opposition, particularly on the defensive end of the field. Ranked No. 3 last week, two more shutouts for the Lady Rams this past week resulted in a move up of one spot, behind only Grand Valley State in the NCAA Division II national rankings.
The week began with a 2-0 victory of visiting Kutztown, as the game was played on the field of Farrell Stadium. Sarah Oswald scored her second goal of the season off of a corner kick that deflected off of a Kutztown defender and into their own net as West Chester took a 1-0 lead five minutes into the second half. That was the second time of the season that saw an opposing defender accidentally knock the ball into their own goal, giving West Chester an edge.
“We have had two teams score own goals on us and primarily the whole idea is to put pressure on the defense so that happens. It doesn’t matter how we get goals so long as we get goals,” said Head Coach Betty Ann Kempf Townsley after the game.
Later on in the game, freshman Allye Landis scored her first career goal as she gave the Lady Rams a 2-0 cushion that would hold up to be the final score.
After her goal, Landis was pumped but understood she could not have achieved her score without the help of her teammates, though she was still enjoying the moment on a personal level.
“It was really exciting and it was also a team effort,” Landis said. “I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. It was the team that really put it together in the end.”
Also, by the end of the game, goal keeper Hilary Smart had not allowed a goal in four matches, spanning 360 total minutes. The win improved West Chester to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the PSAC East. The game also saw Kutztown fall to 0-3-1 overall and 0-2-1 in the PSAC east.
Game two of the week for West Chester was more of the same story for the Lady Rams, as they earned their fourth 2-0 victory in five games, defeating the East Stroudsburg Lady Warriors on the road.
Both Oswald and Brittany Yetter scored for West Chester as they improved their tied-team lead for individual goals to three apiece. Even without scoring more than two goals in a game throughout a bit more than a quarter of the season, Yetter still likes what she sees from her teammates but knows there is always something to work on.
“I think we played great today,” Yetter said. “We are moving the ball around nicely and coming off the ball and having a lot of opportunities. We just have to work on finishing a little bit more.”
After the fifth straight shutout to start the season, Smart extended her scoreless streak to a whopping 450 minutes. Smart enjoys getting her due credit for the defensive success but she gives the nod to the entire defensive unit.
“It’s nice to be playing and keep winning,” Smart said. “I have good defense and haven’t had to face many shots.:
One of the many leaders on the defense is their anchor and senior captain, Lauren Boyer. Boyer consistently puts pressure on the opposition and has enabled Smart to become more relaxed behind her due to her intelligence on the field and ability to knock some potential shots away from her goal keeper. That keeps much of the pressure off of Smart. Boyer credits the defensive success to smart play and strong communication on the field.
“I think we are pretty organized. We are always talking to each other, always picking a mark. And being able to trust each other [helps].”
Coach Townsley also has taken notice to the defensive success and values the leadership that the unit brings.
“I think the fact that we have good experience back there. We have good leaders in Boyer and [Emily] Polombo and obviously Hilary, the goalie. They are seniors and three key players. They are very well organized and communicate well.”
In addition to Smart and Boyer, Polombo also has been part of the nasty defensive trio. She teams up with Boyer in front of the Lady Rams net to help fend off possible scoring opportunities from the opposition.
At the end of the week, the Lady Rams saw their record improve to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the conference. After beating East Stroudsburg, the Lady Warriors fell to 0-2-1 on the year in the PSAC east and 2-2-1 overall.
Coming up this week, West Chester travels to IUP for their only matchup of the week which will take place on Saturday. That game is slated for a 2 p.m. start.
Player of the Week – The Lady Ram defense has yet to allow a goal this season. Senior captains Lauren Boyer, Emily Polombo, and Hilary Smart anchor a defense that has not allowed a goal in 450 minutes of game time action. That has resulted in five consecutive shutouts to begin the season.
National Rankings Watch – Grand Valley State, the only team above West Chester in the national rankings, won their only match of the week, 5-2 over St. Joseph’s College. They have two games this week, the first against Ferris State University and the second against Northern Michigan University.
Mike Heiman is a fourth-year student majoring in elementary education with a minor in literacy. He can be reached at MH606613@wcupa.edu.