The West Chester Lady Rams rebounded from a tough week with a convincing win over visiting Bloomsburg this Saturday on Homecoming. The Rams (12-2-1) had come off of two straight loses against PSAC foes before hosting the Huskies Saturday afternoon down at South Campus.
Senior Diana Rowan came out strong early by pressuring the opposing goalkeeper in the seven minute, which led to West Chester coming out to an early lead. Bloomsburg would keep the game close until later in the second half where senior leaders Jen Hutchinson and Melissa McKeary came up big for the Lady Rams. With their final Homecoming on the line, they pulled through as West Chester shutout Bloomsburg, 3-0.
Earlier in the week, West Chester had to travel out to East Stroudsburg to face the Warriors in yet another PSAC game in which the ladies would be tested. Marissa Spilter would strike early for the Warriors as they would get on the board just six minutes into the match.
The Lady Rams would answer with a goal of their own by Marie D’Angelo but East Stroudsburg had other plans that day. Sealing the deal with a goal by Courtney Keller in the 64th minute, the Warriors wouldn’t look back as they dealt West Chester a surprise lose, 2-1.
This came as a shock to the Rams as they had dominated the Warriors, going 15-0-2 against them since 2002. With that loss, West Chester still had a lot to take out of the match, outshooting East Stroudsburg and taking far more corner kicks than them.
Last Saturday displayed a tight game with West Chester going up against the Lock Haven Eagles. Goals by the Erica Schrock and Brianna Hires aided the Golden Rams as they traded goals with the Eagles early.
Still though, going into the break the Rams would be looking up at a 2-1 deficit with much work to do. Unfortunately, WCU could not slow down Lock Haven and would eventually fall 3-2 in another close game. This was the first match in which goalkeeper Shannon Fedyk would not come up with a recorded save.
Each game the Rams play only helps them adjust for what will be a tough road for them as they enter the PSAC tournament.
To conclude their season, WCU has dates with Clarion at home before finishing with Millersville on Saturday down there. Though both teams haven’t fared as well as our Lady Rams, we see how every team has to be taken seriously in the PSAC this season. If not careful, the Rams could easily slip down the rankings, so it is imperative that they focus for the close of the season.
After the team finishes up the regular season, it will enter the PSAC Quarterfinals, which WCU is hosting due to its position in the standings. That will begin Oct. 30, and if West Chester can make it to where they want to, the PSAC Championship game could be held on Nov. 3 down at South Campus.
With that, we must remember the seasons of McKeary and Hutchinson, who have really led this team to the promise land. Being seniors, it is their duty to make sure the team is headed in the right direction and by the play on the field, the results speak for themselves.
Taylor Maren can be reached at TM741168@wcupa.edu.