Defense Shines in WSOC Exhibitions at Lafayette

April 5, 2014

EASTON, PA. - Defense was the order of the day as the Seton Hall women's soccer team continued its spring slate with dual scrimmages on Saturday afternoon, besting Ivy League opponent Columbia, 1-0, before playing to a scoreless draw with hosts Lafayette in the second of two 60-minute exhibition matches.

"We responded very well with a great week of training after a very difficult loss," said head coach Rick Stainton whose squad opened the spring with a 5-0 setback at Saint Joseph's. "The team committed themselves to being competitive and working hard to pressure the ball; and I think that dedication shone through in their play today."

Against a Columbia squad that recorded eight wins and boasted the second-most potent attack in the Ivy League in the fall, sophomore goalkeeper Gina Maiorana (Street, Md.) kept the Lions off the score-sheet with the help of a stout performance of a back four that included Melissa Blevins (Laurel Springs, N.J.), Emily Hansinger (Mount Laurel, N.J.), Alyssa Stipcak (Mt. Airy, Md.) and 2013 Third Team All-BIG EAST selection Cathy Chukuka (Marlboro, N.J.).

After leading the team with five victories and four clean sheets as a freshman, Maiorana made one appearance for the Pirates in the fall. As a second half substitute against #20 Marquette, the Maryland product made two saves without allowing a goal.

The decisive strike came off the boot of Sarah Fiorino (Glen Rock, N.J.), a freshman who made four appearances in her debut season, when she found the back of the net from 10 yards outside the area to account for the only tally of the day.

Classmate Illissa Blackshear (West Orange, N.J.) was inserted in net for the contest against the Leopards and behind the same back line that stymied Columbia, was equal to the task each time she was tested.

Blevins, Chukuka and Hansinger were in mid-season form as the trio of underclassmen was instrumental in a run that saw The Hall yield one goal or less in nine of the final 12 matches last season.

Defense was a strength for Seton Hall in 2013 as the Pirates ranked fourth in the BIG EAST with an average of 1.00 goals against during the conference season. With the team's top-five defenders in terms of minutes played all slated to return next year and several talented newcomers signed on, the unit should once again prove tough to crack under a new head coach in Stainton whose Fairleigh Dickinson squad notched six consecutive shutouts in league play and finished with a Northeast Conference-best nine clean sheets in the fall.

Seton Hall will continue its exhibition schedule next Saturday, April 12 at Princeton. Start-time is set for 10:00 a.m.