Featured image by Olivia Carzo.
The West Chester University women’s soccer team has gotten off to a good start this season, posting a record of 6–2–1 to start the 2021-2022 season.
After a tie against Mansfield University to start the season, West Chester has rattled off six wins in their last eight games to place them at number 20 in the latest coaches’ poll. Both of those losses came in the last week after a five game winning streak. However, this team has enough firepower to bounce back and continue with their winning ways.
Goalkeeper Hayley McGee has been a force in net, posting four shutouts and allowing a total of seven goals through the team’s first eight games. The Golden Rams offense unit has been dominant as well, outscoring their opponents 21–7 so far this season for an average of 2.6 goals per game. After a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you would have expected the Golden Rams to be a bit rusty starting the season. However, this has not been the case and they have looked impressive so far and picked up where they left off last season.
This year’s freshman class has had a significant impact so far, with newcomers Kaitlynn Haughey and Alyson Cutter leading the way. Haughey has posted eight points, with Cutter right behind her with six. Veterans Madison Bowman and Dani Cady have impressed as well, combining for seven points and being leaders for their team. They are a part of a senior class that has experience in the postseason which is valuable for a team with a lot of young talent.
“The freshman class has really stepped up into leadership roles with a lot of responsibility. It takes an entire team to foster a community that pushes freshmen into these important roles and it speaks highly of the coaching staff, captains and players to form a team culture that has gotten us this far,” says graduate student Maggie Lena, who is playing her first of two seasons at West Chester University after a successful run at Marquette, where she was a member of two Big East All Academic teams.
When asked about her decision to continue her academics and career at West Chester, Lena stated, “I am very grateful that the NCAA approved two more years of athletic eligibility for me. I knew that I wanted to play out my last two years at a university where I can earn my Master’s of Public Health, while also playing competitive collegiate soccer. To play for something bigger than oneself and especially representing a university that shares one’s similar values is what coming to WCU has allowed me to do. I am also working as a Graduate Assistant for the Academic Mentor Program, where I meet with multiple student athletes on a weekly basis and support them in accomplishing their collegiate goals. This academic support program, in addition to playing for the accomplished Betty Anne Townsley and Maddy Evans, helped me make the transition from a Golden Eagle to a Golden Ram.”
The team has had an incredibly successful run over the last two decades, making the NCAA tournament every year since 2003. In 2019, they advanced 3 to the Sweet 16, and the team has bigger plans for this season.
The Golden Rams have two games this week, traveling to East Stroudsburg for a game against the Warriors on Wednesday and returning home on Saturday in what will be a battle of the Rams against Shepherd University. For more information on the team, visit the West Chester University Athletics website.