No. 2 West Chester broke their two game winning-streak in their home field debut after suffering a defeat against No. 1 Bloomsburg in the first PSAC game at Vonnie Gros Field.
West Chester (4-1, 2-1 PSAC) allowed Bloomsburg (4-0, 2-0) to take immediate control over the game, opening up the scoring in the 29th minute with a goal from Jenna DiSabatino. Four minutes later, Amanda Riley doubled their lead allowing the Huskies to retreat from the half with a 2-0 lead.
In the 40th minute, Riley fired another shot lengthening the lead even further.
It wasn’t until the 44th minute that Alisha Moran put the Rams on the board, closing in on Bloomsburg with a score of 3-1.
Cassie DiSabatino ended the possibility for recovery when she scored on a penalty stroke in the 54th minute to close out the scoring.
Kristin Arnold (4-1) took her first loss in the cage, recording eight saves. The senior co-captain also registered a defensive safe in the contest.
Meghan Hollenbach (4-0) maintained her perfect record, making six saves. Jaclyn Beasly also made a defensive save for Bloomsburg.
“We started off strong but did not execute or finish our scoring opportunities early,” coach Amy Cohen said. “I feel [that] would have changed the game. Bloom is a great team and we look forward to meeting them again.”
Coming off of a loss, the Lady Rams picked up their team morale and traveled to Indiana for an away game versus IUP, registering a 3-0 shutout over their hosts on Friday afternoon.
“I expect that we play as a team and come home with two more wins,” Cohen accurately predicted of her team.
Brynn Adams came up big for the Rams with two goals in the game. Adams gave West Chester the lead in the first half, allowing them to head into the second half with a 1-0 lead over the Crimson Hawks.
The Golden Rams’ defense kept IUP from scoring, allowing only three shots on goal in the first half.
In the second half, Adams doubled the lead to 2-0 with an assist from Fiorilla, allowing for some breathing room.
With 11 minutes left in play, Fiorilla took an assist from Melinda Spears to wrap up scoring at 3-0.
Arnold was credited with six saves in the shut out. IUP’s Sarah Lemieux and Brittany Varacallo shared time in the net, making nine saves in the loss.
The wins only continued as the team made its way to Seton Hill (2-3) for another PSAC match. The Rams took down the Griffins 2-1 at the Saturday afternoon game.
Leah Angstadt was the deciding factor in the game, putting up both goals that eventually won the game.
The SHU defense put pressure on the Lady Rams, blocking nine shots in the first half alone. Angstadt wore that pressure down five minutes into the second half after she broke through the barrier sending her first goal to the back of the net off of a penalty stroke.
Seton Hill’s Ashley Reid responded with a goal assisted by Janelle Hofer eight minutes later, tying it up 1-1.
With 17 minutes left in play, Angstadt received her second penalty stroke shooting in the final goal of the game to tip the score in favor of the Rams, 2-1.
Arnold made four saves in the win, leaving her with a near perfect record in the cage. Rebecca Portillo was credited with 12 saves in the loss.
Having conquered three PSAC conference games, the Lady Rams can continue their season with confidence. “The PSAC is a very competitive conference,” Cohen said. “All of our conference games are important, as a conference championship brings us closer to our teams ultimate goal, which is an appearance in the Division II championship.”
With a promising start to their season, the Lady Rams have proven to be a force to be reckoned with in Division II.
“We are all excited to see where our hard work and determination can take us this year,” Cohen said of her team.
Their season continues on Wednesday when they face off against C.W. Post. The PSAC match is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at Vonnie Gros Field.
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.