KUTZTOWN, Pa.- Following a pair of one-goal wins yesterday, the Second Round of the opening weekend of the 2023 NCAA Tournament at Kutztown University is set as the third-seed West Chester University women's soccer team (15-3-3) will return to the field against archrival Kutztown (15-1-5) on Sunday afternoon beginning at 12 p.m.

FAN INFORMATION

Similar to the PSAC Tournament a week ago, this week's NCAA Tournament will be a ticketed event with prices set at $8 for adults and $5 for students with ID, seniors, and children 2-12. Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets online via this link.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

West Chester and Kutztown both survived upset bids on Friday afternoon in the opening round as the Golden Rams earned a 1-0 victory over Frostburg State, while Kutztown was forced to hold off Concord by a 3-2 final in the nightcap.

For West Chester, the Golden Rams opened the game with heavy pressure on the Bobcat defense in the first 20 minutes of play, getting several good scoring chances, one of which was converted by Faith Matter (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) for her team-best 11^th goal of the season. This goal, which came immediately after a turnover by Frostburg State in the midfield, was the lone tally of the afternoon as both defenses stiffened from this point to keep things scoreless. The sixth-seeded Bobcats applied heavy pressure to West Chester in the late stages of both halves, searching for its first Division II NCAA Tournament victory, but the Golden Rams, led by six saves from freshman Grace Keen (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) proved equal to the task throughout the afternoon.

In the nightcap, Concord got out to an early one-goal lead, striking first just over two minutes into the contest before Kutztown found the equalizer in the 19^th minute. After tying the score at 1-1, Kutztown extended its lead before the break, scoring a pair of goals after the 35^th minute to carry a 3-1 lead into the half. This two-goal lead proved crucial as Concord cut into the deficit with another goal in the 63^rd minute to make it a one-goal game, but this was as close as the visitors would get to coming all the way back on Friday night. Lexy Endres scored the Golden Bears' final two goals of the game with her second tally in the 38th minute, serving as the eventual game-winner for Kutztown. In goal, Emme Wolfel got the start and made a pair of saves to help slow the Concord attack in a game that saw Kutztown outshoot its visitors by an impressive 20-7 margin.

SERIES INFORMATION

It would seem only fitting that West Chester and Kutztown would be the two teams to meet in the Second Round on Sunday afternoon, as the two sides have now faced each other in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons. In the most recent meeting between the two rivals, West Chester captured a thrilling 1-0 victory over Kutztown in Albany a year ago, as Kiley Kergides (Rydal, Pa./Germantown Academy) scored a late game-winner off a free kick to lift the Golden Rams to their first Atlantic Regional Title since the 2017 season. In 2021, West Chester and Kutztown battled to a 1-1 draw in the second round before the Golden Rams advanced to the next round with a 3-2 victory in penalty kicks.

These two matchups are just a small sampling of the quality games the two sides have had against each other over the years as entering Sunday, West Chester holds a slim 30-14-4 lead against Kutztown in the all-time series, after going 0-1-1 against the Golden Bears in the 2023 regular season. Of the nearly 50 meetings between the two teams, Sunday will be just the fifth time the two sides have come together in the NCAA Tournament, with Kutztown holding a slim 1-2-1 lead in such meetings.  

While Keystone field has been something of a house of horrors for many teams in the Atlantic Region in recent years, West Chester has found some comfort playing at this location, going unbeaten on the surface since a 2-1 loss at the end of the 2019 regular season. Since that setback, West Chester played to a record of 6-0-2 in games at Keystone Field, including three victories in the last two weeks after winning the PSAC Tournament last weekend and defeating Frostburg State on Friday.

FLOCK TALK

West Chester will be searching for its 25^th NCAA Tournament victory when it takes the field tomorrow afternoon, earning its 24^th win in its 20^th appearance with its 1-0 victory a day ago. The Golden Rams 20-straight NCAA Tournament appearances are currently tied with Grand Valley State for both the longest overall and longest active streak in Division II history, as neither side appears willing to surrender the record by blinking first. What has made this Tournament streak even more impressive is the amount of success the Golden Rams have had on this stage, capturing six Atlantic Regional titles under the tutelage of head coach Betty Ann Kempf Townsley while also playing for the Regional Title five times in the last six seasons.

Individually, Faith Matter (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) continued her meteoric rise through the record books on Friday afternoon, notching her 11^th goal of the season, which moved her into a tie for ninth in single-season points with 33 while also moving her into a tie for eighth in career points with 58. As impressive as her sophomore campaign has been, Matter has certainly not been the only option for West Chester this season, as she is one of nine Golden Rams to find the back of the net in 2023 and one of seven with two or more goals on the season. Alyson Cutter (Warrington, Pa./C.B. South), PSAC Tournament MVP Kaitlynn Haughey (Philadelphia, Pa./Penn Charter), Victoria Pungello (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial), and Jacqueline Hug (West Chester, Pa./Unionville) join Matter in the top five on the goal-scoring chart this season, scoring seven, five, four, and three goals, respectively. Matter and Pungello lead the team in game-winning goals as the sophomores have combined to score nine winners this year, including five from Matter and four more from Pungello.

SCOUTING KUTZTOWN

After falling to the Golden Rams by a 1-0 margin in the Atlantic Region Championship game a year ago, Kutztown would love nothing more than to return the favor and hand the Golden Rams their first setback since October 7, snapping an 11-game unbeaten streak for the Purple and Gold. Kutztown suffered its first and so far only loss of the season in the PSAC Semifinals against Gannon last Friday afternoon, falling behind early and eventually losing by a 2-0 final. In its first game since that setback last night, Kutztown made amends quickly, falling behind early once again but roaring back to escape with a 3-2 win over upset-minded Concord.

Endres, who scored twice in the victory on Friday night, is one of five Golden Bears to score this year and is the team's leading scorer, with 22 points (10 goals/two assists) to her credit entering play on Sunday afternoon. Freshman Kaitlyn Economopoulos, who was voted PSAC East Rookie of the Year, enters play with eight goals and four assists to her credit, including a two-goal, one-assist effort in a victory over West Chester earlier this season.

 The Golden Bears' true strong suit this season has been their defense, limiting opponents to an average of 6.7 shots per game and 0.52 goals per game. The keeper duo of Cassandra Baker and Emme Woelfel have been a major key to this defensive effort, as Baker enters the weekend with a record of 13-1-4 with a 0.46 goals-against average, while Woelfel is 2-0-1 with a 0.81 goals-against average to her name. Having the PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year on the backline is also helpful. This is exactly what Kutztown has, as junior Bridget Curtis was honored with this award earlier this month after a stellar season in the back for the Golden Bears. In addition to her defensive efforts, Curtis is also fourth on the team in scoring, posting five goals for 10 points in the 2023 season.

WITH A WIN

With a victory on Sunday afternoon, West Chester would pick up its first win of the 2023 season over Kutztown while also advancing to the Atlantic Regional Final for the sixth time in the last seven seasons and the fourth time in a row.