Pirates Head to Rutgers Friday
8/28/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Seton Hall Game Notes 
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SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall women's soccer team will look to get back in the win column on Friday when the squad travels to Piscataway to renew its rivalry with Rutgers.
The Pirates (1-1) opened the 2014 campaign in impressive fashion, blanking Marist, 2-0, on the road before sustaining a 1-0 setback at the hands of Rider in their home opener.
The two performances left an impression on the voters as The Hall checked in at #10 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Northeast Region Poll, returning to the rankings for the first time since 2012.
Junior D'Yonna Riley (Washingtonville, N.Y.) provided the game-winning goal in the victory over the Red Foxes, collecting the first goal of her career off a feed from Amanda Gulli (Toms River, N.J.). The Seton Hall defense limited Marist to a single shot on goal in the victory as Gina Maiorana (Street, Md.) earned the fifth shutout of her career.
The back line was similarly stout in Monday's matchup with Rider, yielding just four shots on target. Despite launching 15 shots of their own however, the Pirates were thwarted by an eight-save effort from Broncs' keeper Bethany-May Howard.
Heading into Friday, The Hall sits tied atop the BIG EAST Conference with preseason league favorites Georgetown and Marquette for fewest goals allowed.
That trend will need to continue if the Pirates are to take a result home from their trip down the turnpike as Rutgers has jumped out to a 2-0 start in its first season as a member of the Big Ten.
The contest with The Hall will be the third consecutive home match for the Scarlet Knights who out-scored Stony Brook and Vanderbilt by a combined 6-to-1 in the two victories. Madison Tiernan and Amy Pietrangelo have each scored twice for a Rutgers squad that has proven to be prolific but has slotted freshman goalkeeper Casey Murphy into a starting role.
Murphy totaled five saves in her debut against the Seawolves and made one more in a shutout of the Commodores but has not been forced to manage the type of pressure the Pirates heaped on Rider last time out.
Friday's meeting will be the 20th installment of the longstanding in-state rivalry but the first since Rutgers ended its affiliation with the BIG EAST following the 2012 season. The Scarlet Knights hold an 11-7-1 all-time advantage in the series but five of the Pirates' seven wins have come on the road.
="">Seton Hall had its 13-match unbeaten run against non-conference opponents at home snapped on Monday but will get its chance to play streak stoppers tomorrow as Rutgers is unbeaten in its last seven matches dating back to last fall.
Kick-off on Friday is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. A live stream of the contest will be available for free through RVision. The radio broadcast can be heard on 89.5 FM WSOU.
SHUTTING THE DOOR
The Pirates' early success has been fueled in part by a stout back line that has seen a rotation of
seven players combine to limit the team's first two opponents to a combined five shots on goal over
two matches. Heading into the second weekend of the season, Seton Hall is tied with preseason
league favorites Marquette and Georgetown for fewest goals allowed (1).
VICTORIOUS VISITORS
With the shutout win at Marist, The Hall recorded its first win away from home since the 2012
season and snapped a 16-match winless streak in true road games. Coincidentally, five of the team's
seven all-time victories against Rutgers have come in Piscataway and a win on Friday would give the
Pirates two road triumphs in the same season for the first time since 2011, a year in which the
program advanced to the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Tournament.
IMPACT ADDITIONS
The first two contests of the new campaign have seen several newcomers assume integral roles early
on for the Pirates. Freshman midfielder Jackie Saint John has started both matches while classmates
Katie Landes and Andrea Palermo have each made two appearances with one start. Lauren Hall has
contributed as a reserve role as well while Morgan LaDuca also made her collegiate debut against
Marist.
STEPPING UP
While the Pirates have received significant contributions from some fresh faces, some familiar ones
have stepped into larger roles as well. Alyssa Stipcak has averaged over 80 minutes of action in
two starts after only appearing in the home finale a year ago. Kristin Kosch has provided support
in the attack off the bench, quickly doubling her previous season-high for appearances. Coming off
a season in which she played less than a full half, goalkeeper Gina Maiorana has returned to make
four stops and allow just a single goal in two stellar starts.
RENEWING THE RIVALRY
The Pirates and Scarlet Knights will meet for the first time since Rutgers' departure from the BIG
EAST. Last season was the first in program history thata Seton Hall did not go up against RU on the
pitch. Seton Hall's last win in the series came in 2010 when the Scarlet
Knights were ranked #24 in the nation (1-0).
