The Lady Rams continued to take on any and all comers this week and came out squeaky clean yet again after defeating Lock Haven and Clarion.
West Chester (14-0-0) visited Clinton County on Wednesday, Oct. 19 when they faced Lock Haven (4-9 PSAC) and came out with a 2-0 victory.
The team dominated in all aspects of the game as they only allowed three shots, with just one forcing WCU keeper Alex Srolis to make a save. On the flip side, West Chester reached double digits in shots on goal, maintaining solid pressure throughout.
In the first half it took seven shots by the Purple and Gold before they broke through, off the boot of senior Haley Mangiaruga. The North Penn graduate scored her third goal of the season in the 38th minute off an assist by the game’s star Linzi Wolfe.
Wolfe continued her strong game in the second half, scoring her third goal of the season as well in the 68th minute. She capitalized on a beautiful long pass by sophomore Nikki Caffey. Wolfe was able to dribble her way through multiple defenders close to the net and ringed one in off the post.
The Rams would then head back home on Saturday, Oct. 22 to host their Senior Day, honoring their 11 seniors on the team. The team was able to do right by their seniors by keeping their perfect record alive with a 1-0 win over Clarion University (2-12-1 PSAC).
Unfortunately, the team was without one of the key seniors, Scarlett Walsh, but that did not stop them from continuing to fight and played to the best of their abilities.
The lone goal came off a connection of both the present and future, with senior Erica Hansen scoring after being set up by freshman Jenny Bail. Bail did a tremendous job maintaining control of the ball inside the box, allowing Hansen to drift down into prime scoring position. Bail, a Cumberland Valley graduate, was able to find Hansen, a New Jersey native who then rocketed the shot into the top right corner, leaving Clarion keeper Krista Mosi with no chance at making the save.
Beyond the goal, it was overall an absolutely dominating performance by West Chester over their counterparts. They had 20 shots in the game while not allowing a single shot be attempted by the Golden Eagles. It made life very easy for the winningest goalkeeper in West Chester history Alex Srolis.
The result also gave the West Chester legend yet another record, breaking the career shutout record, moving past Lyndsie Bernardini notching her 33rd career shutout. She also increased her lead in career wins, further solidifying her status as an all-time great in West Chester athletic history.
This year for the Golden Rams has been a magical one, filled with drama, blowouts and sometimes flat-out brilliance. The last time a West Chester team had an undefeated regular season was a decade ago in 2006. They are now the only team in the National Soccer Coaches’ Athletic Association (NSCAA) who are without a loss or a tie, further displaying their level of dominance even on a national scale.
With just two regular season matchups remaining, the desire for other teams to play spoiler will be at an all-time high. Their final regular season matchups will be on Monday, Oct. 24 at home against Salem International at 2 p.m., and they will wrap everything up with their final PSAC game at Seton Hill University. They hope to return from that match with their perfect season still intact and a PSAC tournament to look forward to.
Ryan Hunt is a fourth-year student majoring in communication studies. He can be reached at RH803937@wcupa.edu.