Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
WCU heads to NCAAs as favorite
Golden Rams blank Shippensburg to win another PSAC title; await NCAA seeding
WEST GOSHEN >> A year ago, West Chester celebrated a PSAC field hockey championship only to get snubbed for the NCAA Division II Tournament due to its six regular season setbacks.
The Golden Rams successfully defended their title on Sunday at jam-packed Vonnie Gros Field, but this year head coach Amy Cohen’s squad doesn’t have to worry about the NCAAs. This time, the Rams will go in as the nation’s top-ranked squad and the clear-cut favorite.
Top-seeded West Chester parlayed a magical start into an early lead and proceeded to top visiting Shippensburg, 3-1, in the PSAC Championship Game. The Red Raiders are the defending two-time national champs.
“Something we talked about from last November is making sure we win the conference, but also making sure we take care of business along the way so we can also compete for a national title,” Cohen said. “Hopefully we’ve done what we need to do this year.”
The NCAA Selection Show will announce the six-team field on Monday. The Rams boast a 17-2 overall mark, and their inclusion is a mere formality. At 16-3, Shippensburg’s postseason fate is a bit less certain.
“Not making the NCAA’s last year, it’s exciting that we’ve been able to prove that we deserve to be there,” said WCU forward Caitlin Kelly. “We think we are the team to beat. We all want it so badly and I think we have a really good shot.”
A junior from Bishop Shanahan, Kelly keyed the terrific start as the Rams scored a pair of goals in the opening eight minutes, 55 seconds of action.
“That start was electric to say the least. That just set the tone for us,” said senior Kaitlin Hatch, who was named the tournament MVP.
“We usually start fast but we don’t always get the ball in the cage,” Cohen added. “To get a couple goals early is the way you want to start a conference championship game, for sure.”
The early offensive onslaught seemed to stun the third-seeded Raiders. Less than five minutes in, it was 1-0 when Katie Thompson knocked in a loose ball following a penalty corner. Kelly and Taylor Bracale had the assists.
Moments later, WCU nearly West Chester goalkeeper Marissa Elizardo kicks away a shot with some help from Caite McNamara during Sunday’s win over Shippensburg. made it 2-0 but the goal was disallowed because it came from outside the circle. The Rams cashed in soon thereafter, however, when Kelly deposited a shot off a penalty corner scramble.
“It was really exciting to start so strong that way,” Kelly said.
The rest of the first half was played almost exclusively in Shippensburg’s defensive end as West Chester successfully employed relentless forward pressure.
The Raiders made some adjustments at the half and it resulted in five straight penalty corners to start the second half. But the WCU defense held up.
“We laid back a bit on our defensive side in the second half but we did a great job on that side of the ball,” Cohen explained. “All three of our backs -- Taylor (Bracale), Marre (Corver) and Caitie (McNamara) – were excellent, and (goaltender) Marissa (Elizardo) had some excellent saves.”
The Rams got back the initiative in the final 10 minutes of regulation and then capped it off with a terrific goal by Hatch on a backhand chip that caught the upper near-side corner of the cage with 3:38 on the clock.
“Hatch’s goal was icing on the cake. It really sealed the deal for us,” Cohen said.
“Coach always says the third goal puts the nail in the coffin,” added Hatch, who had nine shots on the day. “Right before that shot, I took a reverse and it sailed over the cage, so when I was lining up for the reverse, I was like: ‘remember your mechanics here.’”
The West Chester defense did a nice job on the Raiders’ Jazmin Petrantonio, who leads the nation in scoring. She did, however, score off a penalty stroke in the waning minutes, but it was too late.
The Rams wound up with a clear edge in shots (22-10), corners (10-5) and shots on goal (115). They will head into the NCAA’s with lots of momentum.
“I feel really confident,” Cohen said. “This is an awesome group to coach. They pay attention to every detail and I think they’ve improved along the way. We’ve been waiting to hit our stride, and we hit it and are hitting it at the right time.
“It’s difficult to be ranked number one and have to take on everyone’s best in every single game. But we haven’t played our best yet, so that’s exciting.”
It took 12 months to fully excise the disappointment of the NCAA snub, but it wasn’t accomplished just on Sunday alone.
“What happened a year ago really left a nasty taste in our mouths,” Hatch acknowledged. “So coming into this season, we had a chip on our shoulder.
“We set goals at the beginning of the season and we are accomplishing them. We want to host this tournament, be undefeated on our home field and win the PSAC.
“So far we have we have accomplished all of our goals, and next stop is national championship.”