Image: Women’s Soccer celebrates via wcugoldenrams.com (photo by Samantha Yothers)
West Chester University’s (WCU) women’s soccer had a celebratory Senior Day victory on Oct. 27 against Lock Haven University. Alyson Cutter, a senior originally from Warrington, PA, scored her second hat trick in three games, making her mark in Golden Ram history. Cutter is only the fifth Golden Ram in team history to record a hat trick. She is also the first player under head coach Betty Ann Kempf Townsley to score two hat tricks, believed to be the first in the program’s history. The senior is now first in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in goals, another huge accomplishment.
Before the game, West Chester honored head coach Kempf Townsley with a plaque commemorating her 400th collegiate head coaching victory, which she achieved earlier this fall at Mansfield. This achievement makes Coach Kempf Townsley the 18th active head coach in NCAA women’s soccer and one of only four active Division II coaches to reach the milestone of 400 collegiate head coaching victories.
Cutter’s performance against Lock Haven earned her the title of the PSAC East Athlete of the Week. This was Cutter’s second time being awarded the title within two weeks. She was first awarded the PSAC East Athlete of the Week title after her first hat trick of the season against Mansfield on Oct. 19.
Following the game at Lock Haven, The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) released its first Division II women’s soccer regional rankings of the year. WCU is among nine teams being evaluated in this first set of NCAA rankings. The Division II women’s soccer committee will publish two additional rankings on Nov. 6 and Nov. 13, leading up to the selection show on Nov. 18, which will be broadcast on NCAA.com.
The Golden Rams have an impressive streak of 20 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament, which places them in a tie with Grand Valley State University for the longest active streak in the history of Division II women’s soccer. Last year, both West Chester and Grand Valley State made headlines by setting a new NCAA record, successfully extending their streaks beyond the previous 19-year record held by Franklin Pierce University.
West Chester women’s soccer just wrapped up their October schedule, finishing with an impressive record of 5-2-1. This past month West Chester had a significant victory against Shepherd University, who currently leads the PSAC East, as well as a challenging draw against their longstanding rival, Kutztown University. As the Golden Rams aim for a spot in the PSAC Tournament, they are in a tight race, with the teams ranked second through fifth in the PSAC East standings being separated by only six points. This close competition adds an exciting layer of intensity as the Golden Rams strive to secure their place in the postseason.
Looking ahead, the Golden Rams will travel to Millersville University this Wednesday, Nov. 6 and then come back to WCU to take on Shepherd University at home on Nov. 9. These upcoming games will determine the Golden Rams seed in the PSAC East as well as the NCAA Division II regional rankings.
Sophie Stair is a second-year English major with a Journalism minor.