Seton Hall University
LIU - Brooklyn
Soma Leads WSOC Past LIU Brooklyn
8/18/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Senior Stephanie Soma (Franklin, Mass.) scored the game-winner for the Pirates in the 18th minute, and junior midfielder Amie Ruhe (Monrovia, Md.) added The Hall's insurance goal in the 73rd minute.
Soma was very active offensively recording three shots on net, including the game-winning strike. What turned out to be the winning scoring play started with junior Marie Klemme (Berlin, Germany) running a ball down on the right side, before sending it back to Ruhe in the middle of the field.
Freshman Alexis Urbanski (Aberdeen, N.J.) made an impressive pass over the LIU Brooklyn defense into the box, which Soma was able to chase down and settle before firing a shot into the left side of the net to beat Blackbird goalkeeper Jennifer Bannon.
The game-winner was the second of Soma's career, but the first for the senior forward since her freshman season in 2009. She now has eight goals in her career.
Once the second half was underway the Pirates kept the pressure on LIU Brooklyn, but they were unable to convert several early chances before Ruhe's insurance goal.
In the 50th minute junior midfielder Ashley Clarke (Paramus, N.J.) made a great run down the left side of the field and made a great cross into Soma at the top of the box. Soma deftly headed the ball to Klemme, but her quick shot fired over the cross bar and the score remained 1-0.
On Ruhe's goal 25 minutes later, Clarke and Soma were involved once again in setting up a prime scoring opportunity. Clarke started the play by feeding the ball into Soma, but this time Soma sent a pass to Ruhe just outside of the LIU Brooklyn box.
Ruhe fired a shot from 25-yards out to provide her team with a 2-0 cushion. The goal was the third of her career.
LIU Brooklyn was not without its scoring chances, but they were unable to capitalize on a pair of strong opportunities in the second half. In the 60th minute the Blackbirds played a ball towards the net from the left side that the SHU defense was unable to sweep away, leaving forward Toni Smith with a chance to chase it down with an empty net.
However, Smith was unable to settle the ball and did not get a clean shot on goal, instead missing to the right side. Later in the half the Blackbirds were able to get behind the Pirate defense, but Seton Hall freshman goalkeeper Gina Maiorana (Street, Md.) managed to punch the ball off to her left and senior defender Taylor Mims (Miller Place, N.Y.) cleared it away.
Maiorana made a pair of saves to earn a shutout victory in the first game of her career. Seton Hall finished the match with a 13-6 advantage in shots, and a 9-2 edge in shots on net.
The Pirates are now 2-0 all-time against LIU Brooklyn and Friday night's game was the first time the two programs had met since Aug. 30, 1997. Seton Hall improves to 12-6-1 all-time in season openers and 14-4-1 in home opening contests.
Seton Hall (1-0) will return to action on Monday, Aug. 20, when it hosts Iona College at Owen T. Carroll Field in South Orange, N.J. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
