The Lady Rams (8-4) have been on a serious streak as of late, winning 7 of their last 8 contests to make them a legitimate player in the upper half of the PSAC standings. With their latest wins coming against tough opponents in Shippensburg and Clarion, there is no reason why West Chester cannot continue to hang with some of the stiffer competition they face this season.
Their most recent game was against a solid Millersville team (6-5) hosted by the Marauders this past Saturday. The West Chester Rams came in sporting a streak that stood at 7 consecutive victories without a single loss, hoping to extend their winning ways. This game was dominated by the Rams even with the score not reflecting what was going on in the field. West Chester outshot Millersville by an outstanding 17-3 and had an extreme edge in corner kicks by a margin of 9-1.
With that being said, the Lady Rams came into the halftime break tied at 0-0, looking for a spark to set them over the top. The lack of scoring proved costly for the Rams as Millersville scored on their only shot of the second half by Elizabeth Waite in the 57th minute. Goaltender Alex Srolis saved a shot, but little came her way, making that lone goal a tough one for the team. Lady Ram, Carly Yost, had a team-high five shots on goal but even with their intense pressure, Marauder goaltender Olivia Webber saved all shots to preserve the win for the home team.
Going back to Tuesday, West Chester hosted a dangerous Shippensburg team (6-4) who would not go quietly against a then- streaking Rams squad. The player of the game for the Golden Rams had to be Ashley Saylor, who came up big early and late for a much improving young team. Starting in the 24th minute, Saylor would head in a beautiful ball sent in by Dana Hunt to give the Rams an early 1-0 lead. Alex Sloris played well between the pipes for the women, stopping all three shots that came her way, but Saylor would not be done with her amazing performance. Coming out in the second half, the Golden Rams knew nothing was safe and Saylor was able to capitalize in the 87th minute to put the Raiders away for good with another goal that hit post and went in. This was another great game for the offense as a whole as they again outshot their opponent by a tremendous 16-7 count. Shippensburg had their chances throughout the second half but Sloris came up with save after save to get another important victory for the Rams.
We must also recognize greatness at West Chester. This week, freshmen, Lexi Brown and senior Noelle Harner were honored as ECAC players of the week for Division II. Brown has been making her mark on the offense side of the ball, scoring a pair of game-winning goals for the Lady Rams with one being the lone goal against Clarion. On the other side of the ball, Harner, who was named co-defensive player of the week, has been a vital reason for the success of West Chester throughout their winning streak. Being the captain, she has been the biggest reason that West Chester, entering Saturday, had not let up a goal in five straight games. With great play by these ladies, there is no reason why this cannot continue and another winning streak start as they enter their final games of the season.
Taylor Maren is a fourth-year student majoring in communication studies. He can be reached at TM 741168@wcupa.edu
Thu. Apr 25th, 2024
