West Chester plays in Chester County’s seat – it’s an easy walk from the soccer field to the courthouse – yet the Golden Rams continue to have a strong Bucks County flavor.
Since Betty Ann Kempf Townsley took over West Chester’s program in 2007, she won or drew over 82% of her games. Last fall, the Golden Rams finished 12-5-3 (11-3-2, tied for second in the PSAC) and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight for the ninth time in 14 years.
Senior Nicolette Harrison entered the elite Division II program from an elite high school program, having played for a state championship at Pennridge. “The biggest similarity is the expectation. The standards are set really high,” Harrison compared. “The minute you join this team, you have something to chase. Both of my coaches were tough and that is what makes you want to work with them.”
“The coaches hold us very accountable for our actions on and off the field,” added sophomore Alyson Cutter, a former CB South star. “Every game and every practice is like a tryout. It’s a good trademark because when you are competing for playing time, you want to practice well.
“When we’re doing sprints, if somebody doesn’t touch the line, we call them out for it,” she continued. “Simple things like that are what makes the team very competitive.”
“Betty Ann and (assistant) Maddy Evans are both great coaches who bring different aspects to soccer,” observed CR North’s Becca Margolis, who will pursue her MBA next semester. Margolis also cited the “team culture,” conditioning and chemistry as hallmarks of the Golden Ram program.
Margolis and Harrison will captain West Chester next fall. In addition to Cutter, who ranked fifth on the 2021 team with nine points, keeper Audrey Schweizerhof (Perkasie) will see time.
“Nicolette was a captain last year. During COVID time, she really concentrated on her individual training,” Kempf Townsley said. “The most important time is when you aren’t training with your team or you don’t have the coaches telling you what to do. She was motivated and we named her captain for that reason. She is very serious about the development of her game. She never stops growing as a player or as a person. She had a wonderful spring.”
Harrison had “adrenaline going” from 2020 spring workouts and wanted to keep that momentum. “I looked at the lockdown as a chance to up my game,” Harrison shared, “whereas others might have looked at it as a time to sit back. I worked out two times a day instead of one to get ahead. If I do one more session than average, we’re bound to be better.”
Margolis, who started 17 games and sparkled in the postseason, began college playing basketball for Lafayette before transferring. She had a great soccer tryout for West Chester … and then the lockdown hit.
Margolis “showed us what she could do and we were very impressed by her abilities. Her passion to play and her energy on the field is incredible,” Kempf Townsley said. “This fall, she just blossomed. She was very stable in our midfield. She acted as an anchor in the midfield to break up plays and generate our attack.”
“My first season was my senior season, which was weird. I had to remind people ‘I have just as much experience as a freshman!’” Margolis smiled. “There were ups and downs, like any season, but the whole experience was awesome. I understood the college athletic world. I think I was prepared as I could be.”
Margolis played with and against several women on the soccer team. “Basketball wasn’t really my calling; I learned that a little bit later. I wanted to do something that made me happy, and that was playing soccer,” she continued. “I went right from basketball season into soccer spring season. I decided to try and walk-on. My family was really supportive of the transition.”
COVID derailed Margolis’ – and every other athlete’s – soccer experience but Harrison did not take the team’s 2021 shutdown lightly. Her petition drive to play generated significant support. “It was horrible news and I’m one to want to act on something,” Harrison said. “I wanted to say at least I tried. Before we knew it, we had a ton of signatures.”
After losing two springs, Kempf Townsley and the staff did not know what to expect when the Golden Rams finally took the pitch last September. West Chester opened with a draw, then won its next five matches. Cutter scored in the third win, a 4-0 victory over PSAC foe Lock Haven, while Harrison and Cutter both tallied goals in the Golden Rams’ next game: a 6-0 conference blanking of Mansfield.
“Alyson really gave us energy after the first 20-25 minutes, where the game settles down but then she brings it alive again,” Kempf Townsley shared. “She has speed, which is something you can’t teach. She finds herself in positions in the attacking half of the field that sometimes those who lack the speed can’t get to. She created havoc with defenses. They didn’t know how or where to mark her.”
“As a freshman, I didn’t really know what to expect,” Cutter admitted. “It made me feel important that when she felt the team was down, (Coach) would say “AC, get in or warm up.” I was like, ‘I have a mission. Coach put me in. She told me to do this. This is what I have to do.’”
Margolis assisted on a goal in WCU’s 2-0 win over Charleston (W.Va.) in the NCAA first round. Two days later, WCU beat archrival Kutztown on penalty kicks to advance to the Atlantic Region Final. Margolis scored the Golden Rams’ lone regulation goal. Entrenched at center-mid, her natural position, college soccer gelled for the two-sport standout during playoffs.
“You’re like a point guard, distributing the ball a lot,” Margolis feels. “The transition was a little shaky at first, but the coaches really helped me to adjust and put me in a spot that was perfect for the type of player I am. As we got into NCAAs, it clicked for me and I continued to gain more confidence as time went on.”
“When we beat Kutztown in PKs, we all rushed the field and I honestly got chills,” Cutter added. “We worked together. The bench was rowdy. The NCAAs were one of the best things I could ever experience as a freshman. Most people can’t say that they have.”
A local product could be in all areas of the West Chester pitch this fall – Cutter as a scoring threat, Margolis distributing in the midfield, Schweizerhof in goal with Harrison defending in front of her.
“I didn’t get as much time as I wanted and I had another fire in my belly that got re-lit this spring,” Harrison said. “Instead of being a midfielder, I played up top. That position change made it click. I could read things better defensively and all of the running is, honestly, fun. I could take players on. Because it felt more ‘me,’ I felt more confident and I think that showed in my game.”
Cutter spoke for several of her teammates. “I think with the people coming in, we can definitely get into the same spot and go further,” she said. “That’s what I want: to bring home the NCAA Championship.”
Four games to view in 2022: West Chester travels to PSAC Tournament champion Bloomsburg on Sept. 3 and hosts the Huskies on Oct. 1. Bloomsburg’s leading returning scorer, with 13 points last fall, is Abby Groff (Pennridge).
West Chester ventures to Kutztown on Sept. 21 and hosts KU on Oct. 22. The Golden Bears, who went 17-1-2 last season and finished 13th in the country, are led by sophomore all-region defender Bridget Curtis (CB South).
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