RELEASE DATE: 9/24/06

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mounties Drop 2-0 Heartbreaker

Mansfield suffered a tough 2-0 loss to undefeated West Chester University on Sunday afternoon at the soccer field. The Mountaineers suffered a 6-0 loss in the season opener at West Chester, but battled back with a courageous performance at home, narrowly missing scoring opportunities and a chance at upsetting the PSAC East leading Golden rams.

Defense was the word of the day for Mansfield. The tough defense of Desiree Boris, Robyn Travisano, and Brittany Lauck were nearly unflawed on the day. West Chester's two scores came from uncontested shots, one on a direct kick and the other on a late penalty kick.

The scoring began in the 26th minute when Brittany Yetter booted a direct kick over Justine Segear's head and into the upper left corner of the net.

"There was nothing we could do about that one," said captain Desiree Boris. "It was just really unfortunate that it went in."

Mansfield showed resilience and poise after the score, battling harder to keep the ball out of the net.

The heartbreaker of the game came in the 33rd minute of the first half when Caroline Furmato headed a pass toward the upper right corner of the night. The ball deflected squarely off the corner of the crossbar and the post and rebounded away from the box.

"I really thought we had that one," said coach Tim Dempsey. "That really could have swung the momentum over to our side before the half."

The tough defensive battle continued through the second half until the 87th minute when West Chester was awarded a penalty kick after a Mansfield foul in the box.

Julie Karcher converted the penalty kick to put the Golden Rams up 2-0 with under four minutes to play.

The Mountaineer defense was tested all day as West Chester held a 22-6 advantage on shots. "Our girls played with a lot of heart today," said Boris. "I'm proud of the way we played."

Segear recorded 12 saves on the day.

Colleen Corcoran had two shots while Lyndi Keiser, Caroline Furmato, Amy Dominick, and Kaytlen Robinson each had one shot.

Mansfield falls to 2-8 overall and 2-5 in the PSAC East while West Chester improves to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in the PSAC East.

The Mountaineers are back in action Wednesday evening when they travel to Shippensburg for a 7:00 pm PSAC East contest.

Soccer Game Summary (Final)
West Chester vs Mansfield (Sep 24, 2006 at Mansfield University)

West Chester (9-0 (6-0)) vs. Mansfield (2-8 (2-5))
Date: Sep 24, 2006 Attendance: 112
Weather: sunny - 60 - windy

Goals by period 1 2 Tot
-------------------------------
West Chester........ 1 1 - 2
Mansfield........... 0 0 - 0

SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 26:40 WCU Brittany Yetter (unassisted) - direct kick over keeper's head
2. 86:21 WCU Julie Karcher Penalty kick

Shots: West Chester 22, Mansfield 6
Saves: West Chester 1 (Hilary Smart 1), Mansfield 12 (Justine Segear 12)