Seton Hall University
Columbia
WSOC Earns Third-Straight Shutout in Draw
9/15/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Sophomore goalkeeper Illissa Blackshear (West Orange, N.J.) recorded six more saves on Monday as the Seton Hall women's soccer team registered its third consecutive shutout in a 0-0 draw with Columbia at Owen T. Carroll Field.
The result extended The Hall's (2-4-2) unbeaten streak to three after the Pirates played to a scoreless draw with another Ivy League opponent in Princeton before topping Army, 1-0, on the road last week.
The BIG EAST leaders in goals against average, Blackshear (0.49) and Seton Hall (0.58) have now gone 361 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal. The West Orange native has been between the posts for every moment of the impressive stretch and improved her save percentage to .906 for the season with the six stops against the Lions.
The Pirates out-shot Columbia (2-1-2), 13-to-11, for the game but the Lions nearly broke through just past the five minute mark when Grace Taylor sent a shot off the crossbar from right of the six-yard box.
Freshman Jackie Saint John (Ridgefield, N.J.) - who tallied the game-winner in the 104th minute at West Point - forced Columbia keeper Gabby Dubick into action in the 21st minute and less than two minutes later, sophomore Frankie Maier (Oradell, N.J.) threatened with a volley attempt from inside the area but her effort sailed high.
Blackshear made two more saves prior to halftime to send the teams into the intermission on level terms but just as they had early in the first half, Columbia nearly moved ahead at the outset of the second period.
Less than four minutes after the restart, Lions' forward Sarah Forthal fired a diagonal shot from inside the box that bounced back off the far post. Forthal was able to track down the rebound and send another shot towards goal but Blackshear scrambled back to her feet in time to parry it to safety.
In the 58th minute, Maier came close to tallying her first goal of 2014 yet again when she dispossessed a Columbia defender in the attacking third. The tackle left Maier in space on the right wing where she worked into the box and fired a shot across goal that trickled wide of the left post.
The second half developed into a physical battle for possession with limited opportunities for both sides. With under than 30 seconds remaining, Columbia appeared to be in for a chance at the winner but Seton Hall co-captain Emily Hansinger (Mount Laurel, N.J.) tactically broke up the play and halted the attack.
The Hall notched the first chance of extra time as junior Melissa Blevins (Laurel Springs, N.J.) produced a dangerous effort from the left side of the area that Columbia substitute keeper Grace Redmon had to make a play, pushing it away from goal and an oncoming Sarah Cortes (Paramus, N.J.) at the far post.
Columbia nearly came up with the golden goal when in the 97th minute, a free kick from the right of the box found the head of Coleen Rizzo who re-directed it towards the top corner only to see Blackshear make the denial with an acrobatic, two-handed diving save.
In the final period, Seton Hall assists leader Amanda Gulli (Toms River, N.J.) nearly fed Saint John for the decisive strike for the second-straight contest but a right-footed shot from the freshman traveled wide of the right post.
The draw represented the third consecutive match in which Seton Hall has reached overtime, a first for the Pirates in the 21-year history of the program.
The Hall will return to action on Friday, September 19 when LIU-Brooklyn travels to South Orange for the non-conference finale. The match will be the second of a doubleheader at Owen T. Carroll Field and will kick-off at 7:00 p.m. following a men's soccer showdown with #22 George Mason (4 p.m.).
