Pirates Battle Butler on Sunday
9/27/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Live Stats l @SHUWSOCCER on Twitter
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The opening weekend of BIG EAST play continues for the Seton Hall women's soccer team on Sunday when the Pirates will meet Butler in a matchup of teams looking to start new unbeaten streaks after seeing their respective runs end in the conference opener.
The Hall (3-5-2, 0-1-0) did not sustain a loss in its final four non-conference contests of the season - earning two victories and two draws - but could not overcome two Providence goals in the first five minutes on Thursday.
Butler (6-5-0, 0-1-0) entered league play without a defeat in five matches but despite out-shooting visiting Villanova 11-to-3, the Bulldogs were ultimately upended by a 69th minute strike that was also the Wildcats' only shot on goal.
The loss was the first for Butler in five home appearances this fall but after traveling to take on the Friars, the road-tested Pirates will be playing the role of visitor for the seventh time in its 11 matches under first-year head coach Rick Stainton.
"Butler will present a very good challenge for us in regards to how they possess the ball," said Stainton. "They are a very patient team, very good in the build-up. I think we will match up well because that is how we would like to play as well."
Despite conceding two early goals to the Friars, Seton Hall settled in well in the conference opener, holding Providence without a shot on goal for the remainder of the first half and finishing with just one less attempt on target (6-to-5).
The Bulldogs and the Pirates were two of three BIG EAST teams that did not find the back of the net during the first round of conference matches however and The Hall will be looking for a repeat performance from the last meeting between the two schools which saw Seton hall dispatch a nationally-ranked Butler squad, 3-1, last season in what was the first-ever matchup between the programs.
A balanced attack has led to six different goal scorers for Stainton's side thus far in 2014 but much of the offensive pressure from The Hall runs through two players yet to collect a goal. Sophomore midfielder Frankie Maier (Oradell, N.J.) leads the team in shots while junior Amanda Gulli (Toms River, N.J.) is tied for second behind Maier and has provided the assist on all three of the team's game-winning scores.
Continued defensive success will be key as well if the Pirates are to pick up their third victory away from home. The result against the Friars represented just the second time that Seton Hall has yielded more than one goal in a match and sophomore keeper Illissa Blackshear (West Orange, N.J.) still ranks among the league leaders in a number of statistical categories.
Slowing the tandem of Elise Kotsakis, who stands fourth in the BIG EAST with seven goals, and Sophia Maccagnone, who is tied for second with six assists, will be essential in The Hall's pursuit to secure a result in Indianapolis.
Goalkeeper Jayne Heinrich also boasts a 0.92 goals against average and Butler has only surrendered two goals on home soil.
Kick-off is slated for 1:00 p.m. Follow @SHUWSOCCER on Twitter for live updates throughout the match.
