The Lady Rams completed their historic season this week, winning both of their games this week to finish the regular season with a perfect record (17-0-0). This marks the first time in a decade that the women’s team have earned this achievement.
They have now cemented themselves as the only team in the entire NSCAA who went the whole season unblemished.
West Chester was picked to win the PSACs in the preseason, but no one could have predicted they would go the entire season without so much as a tie.
The women started off the week with a cakewalk of a match against Salem International. It was obvious from the get go that the two teams were in entirely different leagues with the Rams scoring 11 goals in the first half. A lot of that had to do with uneven sides, as the Rams had a four player advantage with Salem only carrying seven players. The team took their foot off of the gas pedal in the second half, cruising to an 11-0 shut- out.
The Rams scored within the first minute on a shot by senior Cynthia Hagerty. It was Hagerty’s first goal of the season and the beginning of an easy day for her and her teammates.
Captain Kara Parvel scored two goals back to back, increasing her goal total to seven on the year. Parvel would be joined in the scoring parade by Kaitlyn McNamara (1), Julianne Minutillo (2), and Lexi Brown (4) all within 10 minutes of the starting whistle.
Salem International got a breather for about six minutes until freshman star Jenny Bail scored in the 16th minute for her fifth goal of the year. Then Paige Jones (2) and Linzi Wolfe (4) had great chemistry going as they each assisted on one another’s goals only minutes later.
The final goals of the match came from junior Tayler Jamison, scoring her second goal of the year, and sophomore Lauren Brenner. Brenner’s goal marked a milestone for the woman who set her up, Maddie Baxter, notching her first collegiate assist.
The match would almost end there as the second half involved more conversation than soccer, as the two teams recognized the unfairness and decided to take it easy from then on.
Salem International could only muster up one shot, being thoroughly dominated on both sides as they took on a 28-shot barrage from the Golden Rams in the first half. The team would drop yet another game as they are still winless this season at 0-14-0.
The next matchup for the Rams was against Seton Hill University. WCU would face a much stiffer test in the Griffins, but they still came out on top with a 1-0 victory. The win is the 300th in the coaching career of Betty Ann Kempf Townsley.
West Chester was unable to score until the 85th minute, when senior midfielder Hayley Mangiaruga scored her fourth goal of the season. She was assisted on the play by senior defender Katie Huber. The team did not lack chances either, forcing five saves from Seton Hill keeper Jessica Neil. They also stood tall on the defensive end, only letting two shots be taken, and senior keeper Alex Srolis had to make just one save.
The shutout now makes it four straight for Srolis, and her twelfth of the season.
Up next for the team is the PSAC playoffs, where they will host a quarterfinal game with the hopes of continuing their success into the postseason.
Ryan Hunt is a fourth-year student majoring in communication studies. He can be reached at RH803937@wcupa.edu.