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West Chester Hosts Slippery Rock In PSAC Title Game Saturday

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- For the first time since 2008, Division II West Chester University is preparing to play in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championship game. On Saturday, the Golden Rams will host Slippery Rock University for that conference title.

West Chester is 7-3 on the season. Win #7 came last weekend, 41-27, over East Stroudsburg. That victory, coupled with Shippensburg's loss to Kutztown, gave West Chester the PSAC East crown and the berth in the title game.

"Our kids did a really nice job," West Chester head coach Bill Zwaan tells KYW Newsradio. "(East Stroudsburg)'s always been tough on offense and our defense did a great job, especially early on in the game and then they hung on late and made some big plays for us. A lot of turnovers early and offensively we took advantage of those and got some points on the board."

Listen to the entire interview with West Chester's Bill Zwaan

 

West Chester has won seven of its last eight games following an 0-2 start to the season.

"It's probably a good time for us to play in a championship game," Zwaan says. "It's a good time to be playing good, late in the season. There's been a lot of off the field stuff that the kids have dealt with and it's a great reward for them battling through a lot of adversity this year."

The Golden Rams will have their hands full in this match-up against a Slippery Rock team that is 9-1 and the champions of the PSAC West.

"Very, very good, athletic football team," Zwaan says. "They score tons of points. They lead the conference in offense, both scoring and total offense. And this is a conference that has tons of offensive football teams, so they are the best of that offensive lot."

Slippery Rock averages an amazing 47.5 points and 513.1 yards a game this season. On the other side of the football, they are holding teams to 18.4 points a contest.

"They have a great front four defensively," Zwaan says. "They put a lot of pressure on the quarterback."

Now these two teams met in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year. West Chester picking up a 46-20 victory.

Saturday's game at John A. Farrell Stadium kicks off at 12:10pm.

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