Box Score
Box Score
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Seventh-seeded Slippery Rock upset the second seed, West Chester by the score of 2-1 in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference quarterfinal round match Thursday afternoon on South Campus Field.
West Chester (13-4-1) was stifled by a tight Slippery Rock (11-5-2) defense all afternoon and didn’t find the net until the last minute of the game. However, it was a little too little and a little too late for the Golden Rams.
The loss puts into jeopardy the possibility for the Rams to host one of the two “pods” in the first two rounds of the upcoming NCAA Division II Tournament. West Chester will undoubtedly receive an at-large bid to the NCAAs. But, it may have to begin its quest for a regional title on the road. The top two seeds in the Atlantic Region host two other at-large schools. Six teams from the Atlantic Region qualify with an automatic bid going to the conference champion from both the PSAC and the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC).
The Golden Rams were without co-captain and sparkplug Melissa McKeary due to an injury, and Slippery Rock took advantage with crisp passing and opportunistic scoring. The Rock opened the scoring with a blast into the top left corner of the goal from Cailin Connor 15 minutes into the game. Connor was standing at the top of the penalty area and kicked a loose ball right into the corner of the net.
The Rock scored their second goal early in the second half when Shelby Ward tapped home a loose ball right on the goal line that West Chester’s goalkeeper could not handle. It was a physical contest with both teams only having three shots on goal.
West Chester’s Carly Yost tapped home her fifth goal of the year in the final minute when a shot from the right side by Marie D’Angelo hit the post and ricocheted over to Yost. Slippery Rock’s keeper had dove to try to save D’Angelo’s shot.
Despite the early exit from the conference playoffs, the Golden Rams will see their season continue in the Division II national tournament next Friday. Fans can watch the NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer selection show Monday night at 7:30 p.m. live via a web stream on the NCAA’s homepage – www.NCAA.com.
