Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
No. 1 Funner
Tenth straight win shows WCU enjoying life atop rankings
WEST GOSHEN >> If winning is indeed fun, let’s just say that the 2018 field hockey season has been a lot of fun so far for West Chester.
Ranked number one in the nation, the Golden Rams have won 10 in a row — and this was already a fun-loving group, according to head coach Amy Cohen.
“They like to have fun, not just with field hockey but in everything they do,” Cohen said. “I take my lead off them, and they are low key.”
That carefree attitude translates to confidence and resiliency, which was on clear display in a top-10 showdown with visiting Bloomsburg on Wednesday at Vonnie Gros Field. Scoreless at the half, the Rams reeled off a series of unanswered goals for a convincing 4-0 triumph.
Four days earlier, WCU faced a 2-0 halftime deficit at Mercyhurst before rallying for a 3-2 win.
“Our senior class is unique. We are super laid-back,” said senior Kaitlin Hatch. “It’s kind of a quiet confidence we have.”
Now 5-0 in the PSAC (10-1 overall), the Rams are in first place in the conference by two full games. Ranked ninth by the NFHCA Division II Coaches Poll, the Huskies fall to 1-3, 7-4.
“This is the most laid-back group I’ve had, and that comes from your upper class leadership,” said Cohen, who is in her seventh season at the helm. “We were down 2-0 last weekend and there was no panic. They were like, ‘we got this, don’t worry,’ and they did it.
“Other teams would yell at each other, but this group doesn’t put their heads down.”
Maybe that’s because West Chester has lots of talent to put on the field, and has more in reserve on the bench. Cohen is now playing 17-18 players every game, which is far more than she used to use.
“I changed the way I was coaching about two years ago,” she explained. “You don’t need your best kids out there for 70 minutes if they can’t give you 100 percent. So I’d rather have somebody give me 100 percent that is a little less skilled or experienced.
“We are confident with everybody who steps on the field for us.”
In addition to great depth, the Rams haven’t lost since Sept. 1st because the opposition can’t really key on stopping one or two stars.
“We have a lot of great players, but there is no individual star,” Cohen said. “Everybody that steps in gives their best at that time, and everybody invests in what we are trying to do.”
With that being said, West Chester blitzed Bloomsburg thanks to a suffocating defense that allowed just a single shot on goal, and an offense that is clearly led by Hatch and junior Katie Thompson. The duo has accounted for 19 goals and seven assists already this season.
“We do have a special team this year and we can go as far as we want to go,” said Thompson, who had two goals on Wednesday. “We have fun in everything we do, and we are always together. We are all best friends. We trust each other.”
Thompson opened the scoring with a backhand sweep off a rebounded shot by teammate Marre Corver in the first 10 minutes of the second half. And just four minutes later, a Thompson blast trickled into the box and senior Kelsey Munster slammed it home.
Hatch made it 3-0 midway through the half on a shot that deflected off a defender’s leg, and then Thompson rounded out the scoring from the top of the circle off a pass from Emily Evans.
“We had a lot of possessions without shots in the first half, so we had to figure out how to move the ball differently,” Cohen explained.
“We learned the lesson of what to do when (Bloomsburg) dropped 11 people back behind the 25. It took us a half to figure it out. It was a slow start and a great finish.”
It was a clash that was played almost exclusively in WCU’s offensive zone, and the numbers show the dominance: an 18-3 edge in shots, 14-1 in shots on goal, and 7-2 on corners.
“We are doing well, as our record shows, but we haven’t peaked yet,” Hatch said. “We have so much more to prove.
“That second half lights us up and gets us excited, but we have to take that into the first half. We don’t want to keep putting ourselves in that position.”
It was the fifth shutout of the season for senior goaltender Marissa Elizardo, with a big assist from defenders Taylor Bracale, Marre Corber and Caitie McNamara.
“It’s a long season. And we are where we are supposed to be right now,” Cohen said.