Pirates Open BIG EAST Play at Providence
9/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Seton Hall Game Notes (PDF) l l @SHUWSOCCER on Twitter
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - A pair of unbeaten streaks will be on the line on Thursday as a surging Seton Hall women's soccer team heads to Providence to open conference play against the Friars for the second-straight season.
The Hall (3-4-2) has rebounded from a four-match losing streak earlier this season to earn a result in each of its last four outings, most recently flying past LIU-Brooklyn behind a season-high three goals.
Kristin Kosch (Mahwah, N.J.) and Sarah Fiorino (Glen Rock, N.J.) tallied the first goal of their respective careers inside the first five minutes to help the Pirates build a lead that the Blackbirds would not erase. Senior Angie Shehaj (East Brunswick, N.J.) added a late insurance goal off a feed from Sarah Cortes (Paramus, N.J.) that secured the victory just 20 seconds after LIU-Brooklyn had pulled to within one.
The outburst marked the first time that three different players have found the back of the net in the same match for Seton Hall since a 3-1 victory over Cincinnati in October of 2012.
Caroline Kaplan's goal for the visitors in the 74th minute ended a shutout streak that spanned five matches and included three consecutive shutouts for sophomore goalkeeper Illissa Blackshear (West Orange, N.J.).
The Hall still enters conference play having allowed a BIG EAST-best six goals through nine matches. Blackshear also leads the league and ranks among the top-30 nationally in both goals against average (0.57) and save percentage (.886).
Cortes scored her first career goal to lift the Pirates over Providence, 1-0, in last year's conference opener at Owen T. Carroll Field. The Hall will aim for a repeat result when head coach Rick Stainton's side takes to the road to for the sixth time this season to meet a Friars squad that has won its last three matches by a combined score of 5-to-1.
At 4-3-2, Providence sits in fifth in the current BIG EAST standings but all three of the team's losses have come at home.
Preseason All-BIG EAST honoree Catherine Zimmerman has paced the attack with team-highs of four goals and 11 points, playing a part in seven of the nine goals that Providence has scored to this point in the season. Her impact is further illustrated by her total of 46 shots which is the highest individual total in the league entering conference play.
PC goalkeeper Kristyn Shea ranks second behind Blackshear with a 0.84 goals against average and has turned away 11 of the 12 shots she has faced during the Friars' current winning streak.
The Pirates lead the all-time series between the two longtime rivals, 8-3, but the victory last season was just the second for The Hall in five meetings between the two programs since 2003.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. from Providence. Follow @SHUWSOCCER on Twitter for in-game updates.
