Riley Named BIG EAST Defensive POW

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Seton Hall University freshman defender D'Yonna Riley (Washingtonville, N.Y.) was tabbed as the BIG EAST Conference Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week, it was announced Monday afternoon by the league office.

Riley helped anchor a Seton Hall defensive unit that posted back-to-back shutouts last week, without yielding a shot on net in either dominant defensive effort.

In a 1-0 victory over Iona College last Monday, Riley logged 90 minutes in the SHU backfield while the Pirates held the Gaels to just four shot attempts, none of which were on net.

Seton Hall went on to pick up its second shutout of the week, a 2-0 win at Lehigh on Friday afternoon, under similar circumstances. Again the Pirate defense did not allow a single shot in the opening half, and Lehigh finished the match with only five total attempts without recording a shot on goal.

Riley also registered her first-career assist in the win over Lehigh, making the helping pass on senior forward Brittney Albrecht's insurance score in the 61st minute.

In three games so far this season Riley has made three starts and played a full 90 minutes each time. Seton Hall has posted three-consecutive shutouts to start a season for the first time since 1996 and the Pirates have won three-straight games to open a campaign for the first time since 1998.

Seton Hall (3-0) returns to action on Tuesday, Aug. 28, when it hosts Monmouth University at Owen T. Carroll Field starting at 7 p.m.