The women's soccer team dropped the final game of the season to in-state rivals Rutgers,2-0, on Friday.
For much of the game the Pirates came out with a great deal of pressure and an initiative to push forward, but they were unable to put away any of their chances. The team finished with a total of eleven shots, but only three were on goal.
For much of the first half the Scarlet Knights and Pirates played a fairly even game, unil Rutgers freshman forward Rachel Cole scored the first goal of the game in the 42nd minute when she fired a free kick from 25 yards out over the Pirate's wall into the far corner.
Although the Pirates went into the half down by one, the team came out with a fighting mentality that kept them in the game, until the final whistle.
Coach Kazbek Tambi said that although the Pirates were not fighting for a playoff spot, they were fighting for personal reasons.
"The playoffs weren't on the line, but there are other things on the line like pride and putting on that Seton Hall uniform." Tambi said. "I'm proud of the fact the kids left it all out on the field."
The momentum in the game was continuously shifting back and forth, but Rutgers got an insurance goal in the 73rd minute when sophomore forward Stefanie Scholz received a pass to the right of the goal, and beat Pirate goalkeeper, Alyssa Kelly, in the far post for her second goal of the season.
The Pirates best chance of the night came in the final minutes when forward Kaitlyn Ritter received a through ball just inside the box, but was denied by goalkeeper Emmy Simpkins who came out of her net to clear the ball.
After the game freshman defender Emily Hansinger reiterated Tambi's point about their team's effort. "It was a really tough loss," Hansinger said. "But we fought really hard, we never gave up. It's kind of tough, we just have to put some goals away and keep the ball out of our net."
The Pirates have finished up their season with an overall record of 7-13-0 and 2-9-0 in the Big East.
Kenny Lenoci can be reached at kenneth.lenoci@student.shu.edu
