Seton Hall University
1-1-0, 0-0-0
Central Connecticut State
1-1-0, 0-0-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seton Hall | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Central Conn. St. | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Second Half Goals Lift Pirates To 2-1 Win At CCSU
8/21/2022 9:19:00 PM | Women's Soccer
New Britain, Conn. — Freshman Maddy DeCola (Mahopac, N.Y.) scored the equalizing goal in the 68th minute and senior Abbie Roberts (Bedfordshire, England) netted the game-winner with 10 minutes to play as the Seton Hall women's soccer team tallied its first win of the season with a 2-1 come-from-behind road win at Central Connecticut State on Sunday evening.
The win marked the first collegiate coaching victory for head coach Josh Osit. The Pirates out-shot the Blue Devils, 11-7, and held the defending NEC champions to three shots on goal while posting seven of their own.
How It Happened
The Pirates conceded an early goal by the Blue Devils but they went on to outshoot CCSU, 4-1, the remainder of the first half. Two of those shots came off the foot of junior Maille McDermott (Nashua, N.H.) who had both of her attempts saved three minutes apart. The remainder of the half belonged to Seton Hall as they controlled the pace and pressed the Blue Devils but it couldn't even up the score.
The Blue Devils came out of the locker room on the offensive but the Seton Hall defense stayed staunch. The Pirates continued to press and it paid off as they took the ball away from CCSU in their own territory just after the 67 minute mark. The Hall played it back to outside back Rachel Gerrie (Littleton, Colo.) who sent a deep, accurate pass to sophomore Natalie Tavana (Middletown, Conn.) whose shot was saved. DeCola, however, was there on the rebound as she pulled back slightly, gathered and shot for the top of the goal and scored, tying up the score at 1-1.
Senior Grace Gordon (Chester Springs, Pa.) saved a header attempt in the 77th minute and it would be the last shot on goal that the Blue Devils would have all evening. In what was a physical contest throughout, CCSU was handed a yellow card in the 80th minute, giving the Pirates a free kick opportunity a few yards outside the six-yard box. Freshman Emma Sheehan (Argyle, Texas) took the kick and it found the head of senior Naomi Welch (Livingston, Scotland) but her attempt was punched away by the keeper. The ball found Roberts, though, as she struck it with her right foot and sent it to the back of the net, giving Seton Hall a 2-1 lead.
The Pirates remained composed the final 10 minutes as they came away with the 2-1 victory, bringing their season record to 1-1.
News & Notes
- The goals were the first career scores for both Roberts and DeCola.
- The Pirates improved to 2-1-2 all-time vs. CCSU.
- Tavana was credited with her first assist of the season on the equalizer, giving her four for her career.
- Tavana also posted four shots and two were on target.
- Welch tallied her fourth career assist on the game-winning score.
- Seton Hall has won three of its last five non-conference road games dating back to last season.
- McDermott tallied two shots and both were saved.
- Gordon finished with two saves.
- Roberts, Tavana, Gerrie, Gordon, Chiara Pucci (Munich, Germany), Alex Fuggle (London, England) played the full 90 minutes.
The Pirates will return to campus to host NJIT at 4 p.m. on Thursday at Owen T. Carroll Field.
Team Stats
Giavanna Inzerillo (1)
Assisted By: Aoife Horgan , Kristina Kelly
GOAL by CCSU Inzerillo, Giavanna Assist by Horgan, Aoife and Kelly, Kristina.
07:49
Maddy DeCola (1)
Assisted By: Natalie Tavana
GOAL by S Hall DeCola, Maddy Assist by Tavana, Natalie.
68:09
Abbie Roberts (1)
Assisted By: Naomi Welch
GOAL by S Hall Roberts, Abbie Assist by Welch, Naomi.
80:25
