Seton Hall University
Army
Saint John Strikes in Second OT to Down Army
9/12/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
WEST POINT, N.Y. - The Seton Hall women's soccer team appeared to be headed for a second consecutive scoreless draw on Friday night at Army but in the 104th minute, freshman Jackie Saint John (Ridgefield, N.J.) picked out the top corner and sent home her first career goal to lift the Pirates to a rousing 1-0 double overtime victory.
Both of the wins for The Hall (2-4-1) thus far this fall have now come by shutout variety on the road after Seton Hall downed Marist, 2-0, in Poughkeepsie in the season opener. The result also gives the Pirates a pair of victories away from home for the first time since a 2011 season in which the team advanced to the BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals.
Sophomore goalkeeper Illissa Blackshear (West Orange, N.J.) continued her stellar run of play, coming up with four saves to record her second-straight clean sheet and the first victory of her young career. The West Orange native made six stops to blank Princeton in a 0-0 draw earlier in the week and the effort against the Black Knights improved her BIG EAST-leading goals against average to a miniscule 0.62 through five appearances.
With their third shutout of the campaign, the stout Pirates' defense has now gone over 251 minutes of action without conceding a goal.
While the defensive prowess has played a prominent role in the run of successful results, it was a commanding attacking performance over the final three periods of play - one which culminated in a moment of brilliance from Saint John - that helped The Hall top a talented Army side.
Just over three minutes into the final extra period, junior co-captain D'Yonna Riley (Washingtonville, N.Y.) moved into the attacking third and played a ball into the feet of classmate Amanda Gulli (Toms River, N.J.) in a central position. Gulli sprayed it to the left wing where Saint John had provided issues for the Army back line all night and the freshman drew two defenders, cut back to her right foot and fired a shot that had enough pace to find the far corner despite a slight touch from a diving Jordan Cassalia in goal for the Black Knights.
Saint John is the third different goal scorer for the Pirates this season and the second who has opened her collegiate account with a game-winner after Riley did so in similar fashion against the Red Foxes; a goal that was also setup by a ball from Gulli.
The finish was a deserved one for the Pirates who rebounded from a first half in which they were out-shot 9-to-3 to post a 14-to-3 advantage in attempts over the final hour.
The freshman Saint John was at the center of the shift in control as she came off the bench to fire a career-high eight shots in 69 minutes, three of which forced Cassalia into action before the decisive strike.
Blackshear saw her share of shots in the early going, producing two superlative saves that kept the score level and allowed The Hall to come back and swing the tide.
In the 11th minute, the sophomore went to ground to stop a deceptive effort from Army midfielder Clare Shea that traveled through traffic in the area. Eight minutes later, Blackshear had the answer again when off a well-orchestrated short corner, Black Knights' goals leader Katie Holder sent a first-time shot bending towards the near post forcing Blackshear to acrobatically punch it clear.
The Pirates' back line clamped down however and Blackshear was only asked to make one stop after the start of the second half. Co-captain Emily Hansinger (Mount Laurel, N.J.) shepherded that unit for all 103 minutes and was joined in plying the entire contest by Riley, Frankie Maier (Oradell, N.J.) - who attempted two shots and has been on the field for all but five minutes to this point in the season - and senior Kristina Meier (Paramus, N.J.).
Seton Hall will return home for its final two non-conference games after completing a three-game road swing with a 1-1-1 record and two goals allowed. The Hall will next take the field on Monday, September 15 when Columbia visits Owen T. Carroll Field. Start-time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
