South Orange, N.J. -- The Seton Hall women's soccer team played Villanova to a scoreless draw in its BIG EAST opener on Sunday afternoon at Owen T. Carroll Field.

The Pirates (3-5-2, 0-0-1 BIG EAST) will return to action on Thursday when they travel to Georgetown for a 4 p.m. contest. Before Sunday's game, Seton Hall women's soccer celebrated the 30th season of the program by welcoming back alumnae and former coaches. Also present were members of the first team in 1994 and its head coach Betty Ann Kempf Townsley, who led Seton Hall to five BIG EAST Tournament appearances.

How It Happened

In a game between two evenly matched sides with similar playing styles, Villanova finished with an 8-1 advantage in shots and a 3-1 edge in shots on goal. Anna Prawer (London, England) and Avery Strohecker (Riding, Va.) combined to post a shutout effort in goal with Prawer playing between the pipes for the first 45 minutes followed by Strohecker in the second half. Arguably the best chance of the game from either side came in the 34th minute when Prawer found herself one-on-one with a Villanova forward. The striker pushed a shot toward goal but it was ultimately stopped by a sliding Prawer.

The Pirates controlled possession in the early part of the second half where Natalie Tavana (Middletown, Conn.) put a shot on target but was saved. The Hall's backline prevented the Wildcats from taking a shot in the second half until nearly 20 minutes in back-to-back shots were stopped by Strohecker. Despite the stronger play after halftime, the Pirates couldn't come up with a score and settled for a point in their first league contest of the 2024 season.

Six of Seton Hall's starting 11 played the full 90 minutes; Tavana, Chiara Pucci (Munich, Germany), Rachel Gerrie (Littleton, Colo.) Lily Camacho (Summit, N.J.), Kailey McCormich (Mineola, N.Y.) and Kylie Ray (Hampden, Mass.).

Unionfale, N.Y.  – College basketball has a new event with a major purpose.

Icons of the Game is dedicated to the coaching pioneers who broke barriers and paved the way for today's coaches, who carry on their legacies. The inaugural event will be a doubleheader played at Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, when Seton Hall takes on Hofstra and UMass meets Louisiana Tech.
The Pirates and Pride are scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. and television information will be released at a later date. Tickets are on sale now: https://www.ticketmaster.com/icons-of-the-game-uniondale-new-york-11-13-2024/event/0000613083E5108B

The first-ever Icons event will pay tribute to several college and professional coaching legends who achieved significantly, both on and on the court. The 2024 honorees include John McLendon, Clarence "Big House" Gaines, John Chaney, John Thompson II, and more.

The matchup between Seton Hall and Hofstra will mark the first time the two programs have faced each other in more than 50 years, with the last game occurring in 1970. This will be the first ever meeting between UMass and Louisiana Tech.

All four programs are led by head coaches – Shaheen Holloway of Seton Hall, Speedy Claxton of Hofstra, Frank Martin of UMass, and Telvin Hester of Louisiana Tech – who have established themselves as exemplary leaders on and off court, making positive impacts on their respective communities.

Icons of the Game are brought to you by The 44 Group and joined by coaching legend, Tubby Smith, supporting the event. Set to become a major annual college basketball happening, some of the nation's top men's and women's program will participate in 2025.