Coming off of a loss against No. 1 Bloomsburg, the Golden Rams field hockey team bounced back, igniting a five game winning-streak to wrap up regular season play.
The home game win on Friday against Kutztown awarded West Chester (14-3, 8-2 PSAC East) the second place slot, just behind No. 1 Bloomsburg in the Eastern Division. The victory allowed the Golden Rams to host either Kutztown or C. W. Post on Oct. 25, this Tuesday afternoon.
Last week, West Chester (13-3, 7-2 PSAC East) faced C.W. Post and Millersville posting back-to-back wins, which continued throughout this week.
The Golden Rams’ home game versus No. 7 C.W. Post was an exciting victory with a final score of 6-4. Nicole Fiorilla put up two tallies, while Carly Buckwalter added a goal and an assist.
After taking down the Pioneers, the West Chester triumphed over No. 9 Millersville with a score of 4-1. Kayla Gluchowski registered a hat trick, accounting for nearly all of the goals in the contest.
Brynn Adams was the other goal-scorer, who took an assist from Leah Angstadt off of a penalty corner.
After a successful week, the Golden Rams traveled to Collegeville, Pa. to match Division III powerhouse Ursinus last Sunday. The Rams won back the Snell cup, a series that dates back to the 1920s, with a 3-1 victory over their longtime rivals to break their two-year losing streak against the Bears.
Adams opened up scoring for the Rams in the 23rd minute with an assist from Angstadt off a penalty corner. Buckwalter added to the lead with another assist from Angstadt 50 seconds before halftime.
Alyssa Thren put the Bears on the board late in the game, which served as their only tally on the day.
West Chester took a 15-14-13 lead in the Snell cup.
Arnold made one save in the win, and Ursinus goalkeeper Jill Lukens made 12 saves for the loss.
West Chester topped East Stroudsburg with 3-2 win on Wednesday inside Whitenight Field to clinch a home game for the first round of the postseason PSAC tournament next week.
Nine minutes into the first half, the Warrior’s Devin Whalen put up the first tally with an assist from Lauren Ventrella to give the Warriors an early lead, which lasted until the 42nd minute.
In the second half, Alisha Moran knotted the score. Angstadt converted a penalty stroke nine minutes later to take the lead, 2-1.
With four minutes remaining in play, Kelsi Lykens knocked in the Rams’ final goal. Ventrella responded with a goal of her own with one minute remaining, but her efforts were not enough for the Rams’ offense.
With seconds left in the game, Arnold faced and denied a dangerous penalty corner sent her way to solidify the victory.
The Golden Rams held a 24-7 advantage in shots and an 11-2 advantage in penalty corners.
West Chester defeated Kutztown in their final game of regular season play on Friday at Vonnie Gros Field with a score of 3-1.
Adams netted the game-winning goal and added two assists in the second half.
Gluchowski assisted Adams’ shot in the 61st minute. Five minutes later, Adams passed to Moran who added to the Rams lead in the sixth minute, and served as the final tally for the evening.
The Golden Rams held a 15-4 advantage in corners in the game.
Arnold made four saves, while Adams was credited with a defensive save. Emily Falko registered six saves and Amy Dando earned a defensive save as well for Kutztown.
The Rams will begin post season play on Tuesday, facing either Kutztown or C.W. Post. West Chester will enter the post season with a 14-3 record and will enjoy home-field advantage. The winners of the quarterfinals will match up on Friday, Oct. 28 at Shippensburg.
Brynn Dougherty is a fourth-year student majoring in economics and finance with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at BD670913@wcupa.edu.