Women's Soccer Tops Delaware, 3-1, in Exhibition Action
8/13/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall women's soccer team kicked off the fall season with a 3-1 victory over Delaware in exhibition action on Friday night at Owen T. Carroll field. The contest consisted of three 35-minute periods in the unofficial season opener for both squads.
Senior Taylor Wilson (Rahway, N.J.) and junior Stephanie Soma (Franklin, Mass.) each notched a goal and an assist in the win. Soma also had a team-high seven shots, putting five on net. Junior Jennifer Pettigrew (Kearny, N.J.) was stellar in goal, stopping all seven shots she faced in 70:00 minutes of action.
Pettigrew played a big hand in keeping the game scoreless through the first two periods. In the 15th minute, she used every inch of her vertical jump to punch away a shot over the top of the net from 22 yards away. Pettigrew then had to make a pair of tremendous saves from point-blank range in the 55th minute of play.
The Pirates finally broke through in the 85th minute. Wilson settled the ball at the top of the box and fed Soma, who beat the Blue Hen keeper to the upper-right corner.
Less than two minutes later, SHU was whistled for a foul about 30 yards out on the left side of the pitch. Delaware's free kick bent to the middle of the box and bounced off several players and trickled off the hands of goalkeeper Elizabeth Bond (Glenside, Pa.) to even the score.
The Pirates answered back quickly in the 89th minute after Soma connected with Katie Ritter (Hagerstown, Md.), who found a hole up the middle of the field. Ritter's low hard shot to the left of the net just went off the hands of the goalie, but the strike had enough on it to find the back of the net.
Sophomore Ashley Clarke (Paramus, N.J.) set up the final tally with a nice volley to Wilson, who fired a shot from the left side of the six-yard box in the 97th minute.
Bond picked up the victory after making a pair of saves in the final frame.
SHU outshot the Blue Hens 18-16. Corner kicks were 6-5 in favor of the Pirates.
The Hall will wrap up its exhibition season on Monday, August 15 when they welcome Fairleigh Dickinson to Owen T. Carroll field at 7:00 p.m.
