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Sports

Rams reclaim Snell Cup, take series edge in 3-1 win

Quintet of local starts have Golden Rams looking for the brass ring

Collegeville –The NCAA has strict rules against teams playing outside of their divisional classification, making a match up between divisional powerhouses like Sunday’s confrontation featuring the number three ranked Division Two West Chester Rams and the perennial Division Three power, 2006 national champion Ursinus Bears and impossibility.

Renewing a rivalry that dates back to the 1920’s when both squads where Division One schools, the teams took the turf at Eleanor Snell field with the all time series tied at 23-23-9, and the cup series knotted at 14 wins and three ties apiece with bragging rights on the line for at least for one season.

This year marked the 32nd time the Snell Cup was awarded following the annual match up between two squads whose history is intertwined and was such a big part of coach Snell’s life. The game itself is named for the steely blue eyed Ursinus and West Chester coach who led her Bears field hockey squad in 1970 to an undefeated season where they outscored opponents 35-1,

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West Chester senior Nicole Fiorilla, a graduate of Bishop Shanahan High School, has been a part of four Snell Cups and was well aware coming into Sunday what was on the line as she and her fellow Rams stepped onto the turf at UC.

“This was so huge today,” said Fiorilla, who was so amped up that she received a yellow card for batting in a ball that was up around the head of Bears goaltender Jill Lukens. “We all knew the series was tied coming in here today. As a senior, I have to say we are playing one game at a time, but as an athlete my goal is to be part of a national champion. Playing a team like UC let us see from year to year whether we had improved.”

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Fiorilla is just one cog in the machine of home grown West Chester area players that compose the Rams as Rustin grads Chelsea Gallen and Katy Borochaner join sophomore Melinda Speers, who wore the maroon and white of Henderson as the Rams who have built a record of 12-3 overall and 6-2 in PSAC East play.

“We love playing together now,” said Speers. “We have inside jokes and will kid with each other and make Ches-Mont cracks. But we have all built such a tight bond; it’s amazing to be a part of a team like this.”

Senior Brynn Adams got the Golden Rams on the board first as she tipped home a rocket from Leah Angstadt off a penalty corner in the 29th minute giving the visitors to a 1-0 lead.

Angstadt continued to be a force as she set up West Chester’s second goal of the game with under a minute to play in the half when she found Carly Buckwalter on another corner that she quickly deposited behind an outstretched Lukens, giving the Rams a 2-0 edge going into the break.

Ursinus  (10-3) could only manage one goal after a great individual effort by senior Allyssa Thren as she broke through the defense setting up a one on one match up with goaltender Kristin Arnold. Arnold won the first round, stoning Thren from point blank range, but the Bears captain was able to snag her own rebound and put it past Arnold to break up the shut out with 18 minutes to play.

Michele Schrift had extended the Golden Rams lead to 3-0 three minutes into the second half when she scored from the center of the circle during a flurry of activity in front of the UC net.

The Golden Rams, who had not defeated the Bears since 2008, were able to reclaim the Snell Cup and take a 15-14-3 edge in the cup series by rifling 37 shots and holding a commanding 26-4 edge in corners.

This was a great win for us,” added Fiorilla. “I have never seen a team like this before, we started the year as teammates and have become sisters. Our coaches have us all on the same page and we are hitting our stride at the right time. It’s great to be a part of a game like this where normally we would not be allowed to play them.”


The Golden Rams return to PSAC play on Wednesday when they travel to East Stroudsburg, West Chester won the September meeting with the Lady Warriors.

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