• Box Score

WEST CHESTER, Pa. (Nov. 19) - Despite taking an early lead, the California University of Pennsylvania women's soccer team battled to a 1-1 double-overtime tie and lost 5-4 in the shootout against No. 4 West Chester in the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon.

With the tie, the Vulcans finish the season with an 18-1-4 overall record - only shy of the school-best mark set last year. Meanwhile the Golden Rams move to 18-1-3 this season and will face No. 1 St. Rose (23-0) on Sunday, Nov. 21. In three meetings this season, West Chester and Cal U have combined for only three goals and the Golden Rams hold a slim 1-0-2 advantage. West Chester also posted a shootout victory against Cal U in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship on Nov. 6.

The Vulcans took a 1-0 lead at the 12:17-mark when junior Sara Di Benedetto (Maple, Ontario/St. Elizabeth Catholic) scored her third goal of the year off of an assist from PSAC Freshman of the Year Bethany Smyda (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford).

Smyda finished the year with 43 points, moving her into sole possession of second place for most single-season points. Her 11 assists ties her with Hall of Famer Audrey Dawson (1995) for third-most in a single-season.

West Chester attempted to even the score before halftime with three shots on goal, including one with only 36 seconds left in the first period, but junior goalkeeper Paula Jackson (Kingston, Jamaica/Wolmer's Trust) registered saves on each attempt.

In the second half, junior Darija Davidson (Courtice, Ontario/St. Stephen's) attempted a corner kick in the 51st minute which led to a 'team' save on another shot by Di Benedetto. The Golden Rams went into transition after the save and tied the score at the 53:10-mark when PSAC Athlete of the Year Sara Oswald scored her league-leading 18th goal of the season with a feed from fellow senior Devon Swaim.

With the score still tied at 1-1 in the final stages of regulation, Cal U pressured the West Chester net with three shots (two on goal) in the final six-plus minutes of the second period.

In the two overtime periods, freshman Chelsea Norbuts (Monroeville, N.J./Woodstown) attempted a trio of shots for the Vulcans, while the Golden Rams were unable to take a shot in the final 20 minutes.

Senior Carina Honeygosky (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) and junior Kristen Orrett (Pickering, Ontario/Pickering) made their shootout attempts as the score was tied after two kicks, 2-2. Davidson was successful on her attempt, while the third West Chester player missed to give Cal U a 3-2 lead. The Golden Rams evened the score on the fourth kick before both teams were unsuccessful on a fifth attempt. Junior Chaning Wimer (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Township) responded with a goal as the sixth player while West Chester again evened the score, 4-4. On the seventh attempt of the shootout, freshman Tonya Fabian (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) missed to give the Golden Rams an opportunity to finish the game. Freshman Paige Maloney responded to give West Chester a 5-4 win on shootouts.

Jackson finished the game with five stops and made a combined 19 saves in five post-season games (PSAC and NCAA Tournaments). West Chester sophomore Lyndsie Bernardini collected five saves in 110 minutes of action. For the year, Jackson broke a pair of her own single-season school records. In 23 games and over 2,100 minutes, she registered a 0.34 goals-against average and 13 shutouts.

In the game, both teams attempted 11 shots after West Chester held an 11-8 edge during regulation. The Vulcans managed a slim 4-3 advantage in corner kicks.

Under fourth-year head coach Al Alvine, the Vulcans have posted an unprecedented run of success. Over the last two years, Cal U has gone 37-7-5 overall (.806) with a pair of appearances in the PSAC and NCAA Tournaments after not having made any in the first 19 years of the program.