WSOC Visits Creighton on Sunday
10/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
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SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - With BIG EAST conference play rolling on, the Seton Hall women's soccer team hits the road for the third time in the last two weekends as the Pirates will make their first-ever trip to Omaha to take on the Creighton Bluejays on Sunday.
The Hall (3-7-2, 0-3-0 BIG EAST) is coming off an inspired home effort against #15/15 DePaul on Thursday where the Pirates held the prolific Blue Demons' attack to just three shots on target in a 1-0 defeat.
The result represented the ninth time in 12 matches this fall that Seton Hall has yielded one goal or less. Entering the fourth match of the conference season, head coach Rick Stainton's side remains tied atop the BIG EAST rankings with just 12 goals allowed to this point in the campaign.
Less than 72 hours and over 1,200 miles separate The Hall from the taxing battle against DePaul and the upcoming showdown with Creighton (9-3-0, 1-2-0 BIG EAST) but the Pirates will aim to replicate an effort in which they out-shot the Bluejays in what was the inaugural meeting between the two new BIG EAST compatriots last fall.
Creighton came away with a 1-0 victory at Owen T. Carroll Field in that matchup but Seton Hall created the lion's share of quality chances. Bluejays' standout Kristyn Corder ultimately provided the difference with a 63rd minute strike and in this, her junior season, remains a focal point of what has been a dangerous Creighton attack.
Corder (6G, 2A) is one of three Bluejays who rank in the top-10 in the league in points per game along with teammates Lauren Sullivan (6G, 1A) and Alyssa Jara (5G, 2A). In all, 10 different players have etched their name on the score sheet for Creighton to this point in 2014; resulting in conference-best marks of 31 goals and 2.58 goals per game.
The Pirates were highly successful in slowing the DePaul offense on Thursday however, one that entered the contest as the most prolific in the league. Overall, The Hall has limited one-third of its opponents to four shots on net or less and has proven an ability to disrupt any attack that lines up across the pitch.
A bevy of defensive options has been led by junior co-captain Emily Hansinger (Mount Laurel, N.J.) and classmate Melissa Blevins (Laurel Springs, N.J.) who are two of four Pirates to start all 12 matches and each rank among the top-five on the team in minutes.
Junior Amanda Gulli (Toms River, N.J.) and sophomore Frankie Maier (Oradell, N.J.) have also been among the starting-11 each time out and have been engineering the bulk of the squad's offensive opportunities.
Maier leads the team in both shots and shots on target from her midfield position while Gulli is tied for second in attempts and has assisted on every game-winning goal scored by The Hall this season.
While a nine-win Creighton team has shown the ability to find the back of the net consistently, the Bluejays have also been susceptible at times at the back, allowing nine goals in three conference matches; including seven in the BIG EAST opener at Marquette.
Though the start to league play has been slow, the Pirates stand just one victory away from re-injecting themselves into the early playoff picture where Creighton sits in sixth on three points - just ahead of Butler and Providence who also have one victory in three BIG EAST outings.
Start-time between the Pirates and Bluejays is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. eastern from Omaha.
