Welch's Late Goal Lifts Seton Hall Past Lafayette, 1-0

Thursday, August 19

South Orange, N.J.

6 p.m.

Seton Hall University

1-0-0

Lafayette

0-1-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Lafayette	0	0	0
Seton Hall	0	1	1

Welch's Late Goal Lifts Seton Hall Past Lafayette, 1-0

8/19/2021 9:17:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - A goal in the 80th minute scored by junior Naomi Welch (Livingston, Scotland) propelled the Seton Hall women's soccer team to a 1-0 win over Lafayette in its season opener at Owen T. Carroll Field on Thursday night.

Seton Hall (1-0) controlled the pace from the start and it continued in the second half where freshman Natalie Tavana (Middletown, Conn.) picked off a poor pass approaching and sprinted towards the middle of the field with nine minutes approaching. She put up a good shot on the edge of the penalty area and it was saved by the keep but Welch was right there to follow up. She sustained contact but was able to get enough foot on the ball to go past the goal line, giving the Pirates a 1-0 advantage.

The Pirates fended off a late surge by the Leopards including strong defense in goal by junior Grace Gordon (Chester Springs, Pa.) where she came off her line to corral a corner attempt shortly after the goal in the 84th minute. It was all the Pirates needed as they won their season debut for the second consecutive season.

Here's Naomi's second career goal!#HALLin pic.twitter.com/EzXbqzaX9B
— Seton Hall Women's Soccer (@SHUWSOC) August 19, 2021

NEWS & NOTES
- Seton Hall has won its season opener in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2006-07 when the Pirates defeated Iona, 3-0, on August 25, 2006 and VCU, 4-0, on August 31, 2007.
- The Pirates posted their first clean sheet in a season opener since blanking Marist, 2-0, on August 22, 2014.
- Three freshmen started for the Pirates against Lafayette; Phoebe Hampson (Cheshire, England), Cara Mile-Redhead (Clitheroe, England) and Natalie Tavana (Middletown, Conn.).
- Tavana was credited with the assist on Welch's goal and finished with a team-high six shots, two of which came on goal.
- Welch now has two career goals at Seton Hall.
- Welch and senior Laura Hooper each posted three shots for The Hall.
- Tavana, Hooper, Welch, Gordon, junior Abbie Roberts (Bedfordshire, England), senior Emily Arellano (Wadsworth, Ohio) and senior Dani Brinckman (Glastonbury, Conn.), the latter three all on the back line, played the full 90 minutes.
- Gordon posted her first career shutout and registered four saves.
- Freshmen Sophie Liston (Newcastle West, Ireland) and Caroline Lipton (Alexandria, Va.) also made their debuts for the Pirates tonight.

UP NEXT
Seton Hall will be on the road for its next two matches as the Pirates will first take the four mile bus ride to NJIT on Thursday, August 26 for a 4 p.m. contest before traveling to Delaware for a 1 p.m. match against the Blue Hens on Sunday, August 29.