After a thrilling overtime win last week against Franklin Pierce, the West Chester women’s soccer team will return to action on Thursday, December 1 at 8 p.m. as they battle Ferris State University in the Division II national semfinal.

Ahead of the sure-to-be exhilarating match, we caught up with head coach Betty Ann Kempf Townsley as she reflects on the season and shares her thoughts about being in the final four. We asked her how exciting it is to be in the national semifinals for the first time since 2006, and Kempf Townsley responded,

“It’s a fantastic tribute to our program and its many successes. Making it to the Semi-Finals not only means a lot to our current players, but also the past players as it shows the amount of hard work and dedication everyone has put into this team and the program.”

The West Chester women’s soccer team played an incredible game against Franklin Pierce last week on Sunday, November 20. Kaitlynn Haughey scored the tying goal midway through the match, setting the stage for Alyson Cutter to come in and score the eventual tiebreaker, game-winning point in overtime, advancing the team past Franklin Pierce by a 2-1 final score.

“It means so much that the seniors made it to the Semi-Finals. They endured the pandemic, and it shows just how resilient the team is as a whole. They were able to grow their leadership skills and guide the younger players, and to me, that’s what it really means to be a part of a team.”

With last week’s victory, the team advances to the national semifinals for the first time in head coach Betty Ann Kempf Townsley’s tenure. When asked how that felt, Kempf Townsley replied, “I haven’t even had a moment to sit back and let it all sink in. It’s truly a surreal feeling. I’m happy to be able to watch the team win; not only do they win on the field, but they succeed off the field academically and also blossom and develop their characters. I love watching this group of girls develop lifelong friendships.”

Tune in to NCAA.com and catch all the action on December 1 in their matchup against fourth-seeded Ferris State beginning at 8 p.m. inside Interbay Stadium on the campus of Seattle Pacific.