Only one week after taking on last year’s national champion Tar Heels, the West Chester field hockey team had to take on the team that came in a close second, that being Penn State. And, while not coming out on top of the Nittany Lions, the girls put up an extremely impressive battle, remaining well in contention for victory up to the last tick.
The Golden Rams made the first strike in the contest, as Freshmen Brittany Cislak, team leader in goals and points, scored almost nine minutes in, giving the girls a 1-0 lead.
This was short lived though, as Penn State tied the game up less then two minutes later off of a corner.
Then, three minutes later, another goal managed to get around West Chester’s goaltender Zarefoss in a one-on-one battle to go ahead in the game 2-1.
West Chester never lowered their heads though, coming back for one more exciting goal before the half.
After one of Desiree Walker’s blocked shots, Alyssa Gallen knocked in the rebound for her first career collegiate goal, and tied the game at two.
The Golden Rams went into the half all square with the No. 13 ranked team, and defending runner ups.
Penn State wasted no time though, coming out of the gates second half scoring the go-ahead and ultimately game-winning goal less then a minute in.
West Chester battled the entire half and Zarefoss held them scoreless after that, but were not able to muster any more scores in the game, falling for their fourth straight defeat, 21st in a row to PSU.
The girls hope to rally back on Sunday and defeat long time rival Ursinus College.
This will be no ordinary day for West Chester though, as this game not only marks the 28th Annual Eleanor Snell Cup [a contest held between WCU and Ursinus every year, of which West Chester is 13-11-3], but the dedication of the Vonnie Gros Field.
Vonnie Gros was a former coach of not only the field hockey team, but also the women’s lacrosse team at West Chester University.
While the Golden Rams hold a slight lead in the all time series with Ursinus, they have not faired as well in recent years.
The Lady Rams hope to get back on track this weekend as they battle with the Bears in a rivalry dating all the way back to the second world war, after a dedication to a worthy head coach.
Ryan Frisco is a second-year student majoring in communication studies with a minor in journalism. He can be reached at RF648257@wcupa.edu.