Defense, Late Winner Power Hall Past Marquette
Seton Hall scores its first-ever win over Marquette; picks up first BIG EAST win under Stainton
Oct. 1, 2015
Box Score
Box Score (PDF)
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Thursday marked a night of firsts for the Seton Hall women's soccer team as a dangerous driven cross from leading scorer Amanda Gulli (Toms River, N.J.) in the 81st minute deflected off Marquette defender Kristen Timmer and into the back of the net, providing the difference in a 1-0 victory that doubled as the Pirates' first BIG EAST win of the season.
The Hall (2-7-2, 1-1-0 BIG EAST) had never beaten the Golden Eagles (4-5-3, 1-1-0 BIG EAST) in five previous meetings but the late goal and timely Seton Hall defense led to just the fourth BIG EAST defeat in the last four seasons for the perennial power Marquette.
For second year head coach Rick Stainton, the victory was also the first in league play during his stint in charge in South Orange.
Junior goalkeeper Illissa Blackshear (West Orange, N.J.) played as large a role as any in the result, turning away six shots to blank a Golden Eagles side that lit up the scoreboard in a 5-1 drubbing of Creighton in its conference opener last week.
Blackshear and a stout back line anchored by senior co-captain Emily Hansinger (Mount Laurel, N.J.) and Cathy Chukuka (Marlboro, N.J.) kept Marquette off the scoresheet despite an advantage in possession for the Golden Eagles, opening the door for the late winner.
The strike came as Gulli, who narrowly missed tallying her fourth goal of the year with what was the best scoring opportunity for The Hall prior to the decisive sequence, drove a cross into the center of the six-yard box where freshmen Eva Gonzalez (Mesquite, Texas) and Julia Stirpe (Berkeley Heights, N.J.) had made incisive runs.
The well-placed service left the Marquette defender with no chance to react and the ricochet flew past a sprawling Amanda Engel to send Seton Hall to its first three points of the conference season.
Turning Point
In the 55th minute, Blackshear stopped successive tries from two of Marquette's most potent threats on the night in Liz Bartels and Meegan Johnston, keeping the match scoreless
Goals
SHU - 81st minute - OWN GOAL (Cross from right by Gulli deflects in off Timmer)
Head Coach Rick Stainton on the victory:"Tonight means a whole lot for us. We've been working so hard for this moment. Tonight is all about those girls and the work that they've done. They work their tails off every day. I could not be prouder."
Inside The Numbers
- Blackshear has now recorded six or more stops in four of her seven career clean sheets
- The West Orange native has not allowed a goal in 258 minutes of action at home this season (three appearances)
- Six of the seven goals Seton Hall has been credited with this season have come in the second half
- The game-winning goal has come in the 80th minute or later in three of The Hall's last five victories
- Thursday's clean sheet was the first for Blackshear in a match that ended in regulation
- Seton Hall's defensive effort led by Hansinger, Chukuka, D'Yonna Riley (Washingtonville, N.Y.) and Emily Rimdzius (Cherry Hill, N.J.) resulted in just the eighth time Marquette has been shutout in a BIG EAST regular season match since joining the conference in 2005
News & Notes
- Seton Hall has now won consecutive home games after topping Albany, 1-0, in double-overtime in the non-conference finale
Up Next
The Pirates will travel to take on reigning BIG EAST champions DePaul at Wish Field on Sunday, October 4. Start-time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET with a live stream available through depaulbluedemons.com
Seton Hall scores its first-ever win over Marquette; picks up first BIG EAST win under Stainton
Oct. 1, 2015
Box Score
Box Score (PDF)
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Thursday marked a night of firsts for the Seton Hall women's soccer team as a dangerous driven cross from leading scorer Amanda Gulli (Toms River, N.J.) in the 81st minute deflected off Marquette defender Kristen Timmer and into the back of the net, providing the difference in a 1-0 victory that doubled as the Pirates' first BIG EAST win of the season.
The Hall (2-7-2, 1-1-0 BIG EAST) had never beaten the Golden Eagles (4-5-3, 1-1-0 BIG EAST) in five previous meetings but the late goal and timely Seton Hall defense led to just the fourth BIG EAST defeat in the last four seasons for the perennial power Marquette.
For second year head coach Rick Stainton, the victory was also the first in league play during his stint in charge in South Orange.
Junior goalkeeper Illissa Blackshear (West Orange, N.J.) played as large a role as any in the result, turning away six shots to blank a Golden Eagles side that lit up the scoreboard in a 5-1 drubbing of Creighton in its conference opener last week.
Blackshear and a stout back line anchored by senior co-captain Emily Hansinger (Mount Laurel, N.J.) and Cathy Chukuka (Marlboro, N.J.) kept Marquette off the scoresheet despite an advantage in possession for the Golden Eagles, opening the door for the late winner.
The strike came as Gulli, who narrowly missed tallying her fourth goal of the year with what was the best scoring opportunity for The Hall prior to the decisive sequence, drove a cross into the center of the six-yard box where freshmen Eva Gonzalez (Mesquite, Texas) and Julia Stirpe (Berkeley Heights, N.J.) had made incisive runs.
The well-placed service left the Marquette defender with no chance to react and the ricochet flew past a sprawling Amanda Engel to send Seton Hall to its first three points of the conference season.
Turning Point
In the 55th minute, Blackshear stopped successive tries from two of Marquette's most potent threats on the night in Liz Bartels and Meegan Johnston, keeping the match scoreless
Goals
SHU - 81st minute - OWN GOAL (Cross from right by Gulli deflects in off Timmer)
Head Coach Rick Stainton on the victory:"Tonight means a whole lot for us. We've been working so hard for this moment. Tonight is all about those girls and the work that they've done. They work their tails off every day. I could not be prouder."
Inside The Numbers
- Blackshear has now recorded six or more stops in four of her seven career clean sheets
- The West Orange native has not allowed a goal in 258 minutes of action at home this season (three appearances)
- Six of the seven goals Seton Hall has been credited with this season have come in the second half
- The game-winning goal has come in the 80th minute or later in three of The Hall's last five victories
- Thursday's clean sheet was the first for Blackshear in a match that ended in regulation
- Seton Hall's defensive effort led by Hansinger, Chukuka, D'Yonna Riley (Washingtonville, N.Y.) and Emily Rimdzius (Cherry Hill, N.J.) resulted in just the eighth time Marquette has been shutout in a BIG EAST regular season match since joining the conference in 2005
News & Notes
- Seton Hall has now won consecutive home games after topping Albany, 1-0, in double-overtime in the non-conference finale
Up Next
The Pirates will travel to take on reigning BIG EAST champions DePaul at Wish Field on Sunday, October 4. Start-time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET with a live stream available through depaulbluedemons.com
