West Chester, Widener move on in postseason

A YEAR AGO West Chester did something it hadn't done since 2006, which was win a playoff game on the road.

The Rams (11-1) actually did it twice last season - at Bloomsburg and at Shepherd - before finally losing at Lenoir-Rhyne in the Division II semifinals.

Now, they're trying to do it again.

Last week they beat Slippery Rock (9-3) at home in the opening round by 26. That earned them a trip to Athens, W.Va., to play unbeaten Concord tomorrow. The Mountain Lions, the top seed in Super Region One, have won 11 games for the first time since 1980 and are hosting a postseason game for the first time ever. They won at Shepherd (8-2) on Nov. 15, 29-20, in overtime.

They're 0-8 in playoffs, but seven of those were in NAIA before their transition to NCAA D-II in 1993. In 2011, they lost at Kutztown, another PSAC team, by three.

"I think [last year's experience] helps some, but I don't think it's a really huge factor," said WC coach Bill Zwaan, who also made it to the semis in 2004, also by winning twice on the road before losing at eventual champ Valdosta State. "The one piece they do understand is one and done. Once you go through that type of situtation, it makes you say, 'Listen, I don't want to lose.'

"At the same time each game, when you're at this level, if you have turnovers or too many penalties or play badly, you're going to lose. Each game is its own entity. But we're not afraid of going on the road. Our kids know they can handle going into somebody else's stadium and get a win. But there's a reason somebody's seeded higher than you. They had the better season, or people think they did. So that's where we're at."

Where they could be next week is back at Bloomsburg, should both advance. They lost there on Oct. 25, 41-10. The Huskies (10-1), who got a bye, host Virginia State (10-2).

"Maybe 2 weeks ago, some people might have been thinking that way," Zwaan conceded. "Like, 'Hey, let's get Bloom again.' But I'm not really hearing much of that. I think they're just looking at what's right in front of them.

"If we happen to get Bloom again, OK. But that's not the thing."

In D-III, Widener (11-0) hosts Christopher Newport (8-3) in the round of 16. Widener beat Muhlenberg at home on a late field goal. CN won at Delaware Valley the same way. The Captains were one of only three road teams to win an opener.

The Pride won the only previous meeting, 56-7, in the first round in 2001, when Zwaan was their coach.

Widener is 6-0 in the tournament at Quick Stadium and 4-2 overall in this round. The winner gets Linfield (9-1) or Mary Baylor-Hardin (11-0), which lost by one to eventual champ Wisconsin-Whitewater in last year's semis, most likely on the road.

The Pride has a first-year coach in Mike Kelly, its third in three seasons. In 2012, it lost in the quarters at eventual champ Mount Union with Isaac Collins, who then went to D-II Seton Hill.