COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Kaitlyn Gundersen (So., Reading, Pa.) scored three times in the fourth quarter to account for half of a six-goal outburst by Mid-Atlantic Division Champion West Chester University in the final seven minutes of action as the Golden Rams rallied from a 7-5 deficit to stun No. 20-ranked/New England Division Champion Northeastern University, 11-8, in the Seventh Place game of the 2024 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship.
West Chester – which finished in 12th place last year at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) in the squad’s inaugural appearance at the Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship – outscored the Huskies 6-1 in the fourth quarter to head back to Pennsylvania with the team’s first Top 10 finish..
Northeastern – which made its first appearance at the Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship this year – will travel back to Boston with an Eighth Place mark to rate among the upper echelon of collegiate club programs around the country.
Trailing 6-3 at halftime, West Chester moved back to within a pair at 6-4 with 2:15 left in the third quarter as Emma Seifert (Fr., Reading, Pa.) swished a shot. Kayla McCleave (Fr., Mission Viejo, Calif.) returned Northeastern’s lead to a trio by putting away a scoring bid with 1:53 on the clock, but Alayna Capaldi (So., Telford, Pa.) ignited a comeback by drilling a ball into the twine with exactly 60 seconds left in the frame to pull the Golden Rams within 7-5 heading into the fourth quarter.
Morgan James (Fr., Harleysville, Pa.) (6:18) and Hannah Christie (Sr., Telford, Pa.) (4:16, man-up) eradicated Northeastern’s lead less than three minutes into the final seven minutes of competition to square the teams at seven-all. Gundersen inflicted the first portions of her offensive damage for WCU as the sophomore put away back-to-back strikes at 1:41 and one minute to stake the Golden Rams to a 9-7 margin.
Kenza Ashworth (Fr., Palo Alto, Calif.) attempted to rally Northeastern back into the contest as she swept a man-up shot into the cage with 43 seconds left in regulation to inch the Huskies within 9-8. However, Gundersen (28 seconds) and Christie (two seconds) cushioned the final differential to 11-8.
The game was significantly different in the first half as Northeastern dominated the early going versus West Chester.
McCleave (5:03) and Ashworth (4:20, penalty shot) provided the New England Division Champions with a 2-0 lead less than three minutes into the first quarter. Maura O’Donnell (Fr., Ambler, Pa.) placed West Chester on the scoreboard at 2:40, but Anna Schlegel (So., Pottstown, Pa.) delivered a man-up response for Northeastern with 13 seconds to go in the frame for a 3-1 Huskies’ margin after seven minutes of competition.
McCleave (6:40) and Ashworth (5:26) commenced the second quarter with back-to-back strikes to expand the spread to 5-1 prior to James chipping West Chester’s deficit back to three at 5-2 with 4:36 until halftime.
The teams traded goals over the remainder of the first half as Schlegel lined in a penalty shot (3:06) and O’Donnell delivered on an even-strength opportunity (10 seconds) to make it 6-3 at the break and set the stage for the Golden Rams’ second half rally to victory.
For West Chester, Gundersen (three), Christie (two), James (two) and O’Donnell (two) posted multi-goal games with Capaldi and Seifert tacking on solo markers. Goalkeeper Jasmine Thek (Jr., Fort Washington, Pa.) claimed the win with 12 saves – including nine stops in the second half to stall the Huskies’ offense and permit the Golden Rams to complete their comeback.
Ashworth (three), McCleave (three) and Schlegel (two) combined for the entirety of the Huskies’ offensive output. Katie Kuyper (Jr., Waimea, Hawaii) and Kathleen McClatchie (Fr., Los Altos, Calif.) both collected three saves in cage for Northeastern.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| No. 20 Northeastern University |
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | – | 8 |
| West Chester University | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | – | 11 |
| West Chester Goals: | Kaitlyn Gundersen (3); Hannah Christie (2); Morgan James (2); Maura O’Donnell (2); Alayna Capaldi; Emma Seifert | |||||
| Northeastern Goals: | Kenza Ashworth (3); Kayla McCleave (3); Anna Schlegel (2) | |||||
| Saves: | West Chester – Jasmine Thek (12) ; Northeastern – Katie Kuyper (3, 14 minutes), Kathleen McClatchie (3, 14 minutes) | |||||
| Exclusions: | West Chester – 8 ; Northeastern – 4 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | West Chester – 1-for-4 ; Northeastern – 3-for-8 | |||||
| Sprints: | West Chester – 2-for-4 (1st, 4th) ; Northeastern – 2-for-4 (2nd, 3rd) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | YC – West Chester (Head coach Anthony Schoppe, 49 seconds left in 3rd Q) | |||||
| Officials: | Marvel Shoen, Jennifer Frain | |||||
Northeastern University’s Isabella Cenizal (#2) attempts to elude West Chester University’s Katherine Hayner (#3)
Northeastern University’s Kayla McCleave (#11) races down the pool
West Chester University’s Maura O’Donnell (#22) surveys the field as Northeastern University’s Kenza Ashworth (#4) closes in
West Chester University’s Morgan James (#20) attempts to break-up a pass against Northeastern University
