Stainton
Shupirates.com
Coach Rick Stainton looked into his players’ eyes with pride. “Now that’s the way you start a season,” the first-year head coach said. He wasn’t kidding. The Seton Hall women’s soccer team used a goal from D’Yonna Riley in the 23rd minute to take a lead they would never give up in a 2-0 win over Marist on Friday.
The Pirates controlled possession for the majority of regulation, finding opportunities from the start. Sophomore Frankie Maier attempted a long-distance shot just nine minutes in, but senior goalkeeper Andrea Wicks vacuumed the ball up. The Pirates found two more chances before the 23rd, when junior defender Melissa Blevins came up with a loose ball near midfield. A through ball into the left side of the box led to Amanda Gulli coming up with a slide tackle and possession. A pass to a slashing Riley led to the score, the first goal of her career.
In the 74th, a shot by sophomore substitution Sarah Cortes turned out for the best for SHU. Wicks had trouble handling the ball, and an own goal did all but give the Pirates the win officially. “This is the standard we want our program to be at,” Stainton said. The Pirates will aim to keep rolling in their home opener against Rider on Monday at 7 p.m. The Broncs were picked to finish fifth in the MAAC Preseason Poll and have 15 returning letterwinners.
Easy being Greene for MSOC
Kai Greene scored three times for the Seton Hall men’s soccer team in a 3-1 win over Bloomfield to close out the Pirates’ preseason on Saturday afternoon. As good as Greene was, Victor Manosalvas was his wing man. The junior found Greene, a senior, on all three scores. The Pirates got on the board when Manosalvas dished the ball off to the middle of the box, leading Greene stepping up and firing a shot into the right side of the net.
Seven minutes later, Manosalvas led Greene with a slotted ball that found its way behind the Bloomfield back line. Greene dashed by the keeper, leaving him with a wide open look and a score. While Bloomfield cut the lead in half in the 32nd, Greene made it look easy five minutes later with another ball fading into the area from Manosalvas. The Pirates have just under a week until their season opener at Rhode Island on Friday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m. The Hall was selected to finish ninth in the Big East Preseason Poll earlier this week while freshman Sam Geiler, who led the team with eight goals and 20 points last season, made it on the preseason team.
