Seton Hall University
Lehigh
High-Octane Offense Powers 2-0 Win
8/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
With the win, SHU improves to 3-0 for the first time since 1998 while Lehigh drops to 0-1. The Pirates also widened their advantage in the all-time series to 3-1-1 and collected their first ever victory in Bethlehem.
The story of the day was again the Pirates' unrelenting attack, as they bombarded the Hawks' goal for the duration of the 90 minutes. Seton Hall enjoyed a gargantuan 30-5 advantage in shots on the day, including a 15 on frame to 0 on net for the home side.
This has been a familiar theme early in the season for an up-tempo SHU squad that has now outshot their opponents 64-15 through their first three outings. As was the case against Iona in their previous match, Seton Hall did not allow a single attempt at net in the first half and has now only surrendered one first-half shot attempt to this point in the season.
The Hall tested Lehigh goalkeeper early Ashley Blanks early and often, setting a definitive tone for the rest of the match. With just under 10 minutes played, senior Stephanie Soma (Franklin, Mass.) got her head on the end of a corner kick from junior Marie Klemme (Berlin, Germany) to force Blanks to make the first of three saves she would need to make in a six-minute span.
Freshman forward Christie Cherup (Wayne, N.J.) came on in relief later in the period, and immediately made an impact by firing two shots in her first two minutes of action, landing one on frame.
Six different Pirates had a go at net in the 45 minutes, forcing Blanks to make five stops to hold the score at 0-0 heading into the break.
As the second half wore on, the Pirates' offense proved too much for the Hawks to handle despite the best efforts of their keeper. Another substitute, junior Brittney Albrecht (Mahwah, N.J.) placed her stamp on proceedings and was a major factor in SHU coming away with the result.
In the 59th minute, Albrecht sent a cross that found the head of Klemme, who powered it past Blanks for what proved to be the decisive tally. The goal provided a pair of milestones for the figures involved, as the score was Klemme's first as a Pirate and Albrecht notched her first career helper.
Just over two minutes later, Albrecht provided SHU with some breathing room when she collected a pass from freshman defender D'Yonna Riley (Washingtonville, N.Y.) and rifled a shot from outside the area into the upper part of the net, providing the two-goal advantage that the Pirates would enjoy through the final whistle. For Albrecht, it was the third goal of her career while Riley picked up her first point in just her third collegiate match.
Not to be lost in the shuffle is the fact that the Pirates blanked their opponents for the third straight match. This marks the first time since 1996 that SHU has posted three consecutive clean sheets to start the season and just the second time the team has achieved this feat in program history.
Freshman goalkeeper Gina Maiorana (Street, Md.) has enjoyed an impressive first week-plus for the Pirates, recording all three wins and shutouts in net. Her personal shutout total of three is now tied for sixth-most all-time in the brief 18-year history of Seton Hall women's soccer.
SHU will look to continue its winning ways when they welcome familiar foe Monmouth to South Orange on Tuesday, August 28. Kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m. from Owen T. Carroll Field.
