Rustin beats D-East to remain unbeaten in Ches-Mont

DOWNINGTOWN >> Cassie Cheeseman made sure Downigntown East’s senior night was short-lived.

Cheeseman decided to celebrate senior night in her own way as she scored two minutes into the game as West Chester Rustin defeated Downingtown East 3-1 to remain unbeaten in Ches-Mont League play.

“That was huge, it shifted the momentum completely,” Cheeseman said. “Dominique Simone had a great shot at the goalie and it bounced off her and I was just in the right spot at the right time to knock it in.”
Fifteen minutes later freshman Carolyn Zier gave the Knights (6-0 Ches-Mont American) a 2-0 lead as she struck a shot into the top right corner of the net, set up nicely by Erin Moran.
“We came out with really good momentum,” Rustin head coach Peter Rohall said. “We got a couple quickies and when you get early goals it always helps. I’ve been in these Ches-Mont games for twenty years now, it’s always going to be a grind, I thought Downingtown responded really well and took over the momentum just before half.”
The Cougars (3-2-1 Ches-Mont National) stole that momentum thanks to a goal from sophomore Emma Steigerwald. It was a laser shot that Rustin goalie Julie Griesemer had little chance on stopping. The Cougars had plenty of scoring chances all night, but just couldn’t find the back of the net.
“I thought they did well,” East’s head coach Craig Reed said. “Fifteen seconds in we banged the crossbar and we had a lot of good chances. We know Rustin’s a good team and they are well-coached and it was never going to be easy. I thought they fought hard and created a lot of opportunities.”
The Cougars had a great chance to tie the game in the second half as senior captain Brittany Weiderhold had a creative run into the box getting past numerous Rustin defenders, but Griesemer was up for the challenge and got a hand on the shot.
“It was a good battle, these Ches-Mont games can go either way,” Weiderhold said. “We are going to keep our heads up and hope to come out strong against Henderson. It was nice seeing all of my family out there supporting me before the game; I am definitely going to miss this.”
Rustin scored the back-breaking goal with twenty-two minutes left to play. It was a flurry of shots towards East goalkeeper Katia Mujica, she saved the first couple of shots but Kendall Ammerman finally cleaned up the third rebound to give Rustin the commanding 3-1 lead.
“We have been a good run for two years now, but it’s not something this group thinks about,” Rohall said. “I really love coaching this group because they listen so well and they are a humble bunch and just want to get better and better. It’s going to be tough to repeat but these girls are up for the challenge.”
West Chester Rustin: 3 Downingtown East: 1
W.C. Rustin 2 1
Downingtown East 1 0
W.C. Rustin goals: Cheeseman, Zier, Ammerman
Downingtown East Goals: Steigerwald
Goalie Saves: Mujica (DE) 6, Griesemer (WCR) 8