In a season full of ups and downs, the reoccurring theme for the Seton Hall women's soccer team revolved around one word: resilience.
At the beginning of the season, the Pirates sprinted out to an impressive 5-1 start; however once September rolled around, so did the struggles.
The Pirates dropped four consecutive games to Army, LaSalle, William & Mary and Big East foe Georgetown, 8-0. However, after being dismantled by Georgetown, the Pirates bounced back with a 2-0 win over Villanova.
"It was one of the big highlights of the season, beating Villanova who had a very strong year," head coach Kazbek Tambi said. "To beat Villanova was a great character statement."
From there, the rest of Big East play did not get any easier, dropping the final eight out of nine games. Tambi said the team's inconsistency hurt the team.
Finishing the season with a record of 7-12-0 (2-9-0 Big East), the Pirates may not have been a team that lit up the scoreboard, but their gritty, possessive style of play kept them competitive in many of their games.
Throughout the season the Pirates were led by an array of underclassmen, along with a mix of seniors that played a helpful role in balancing out the team with their much needed experience.
Offensively, juniors Marie Klemme and Ashley Clarke were the go-to contributors when the Pirates needed a spark in the attacking third of the field. On the defensive side of the ball, the future of this team looks bright after encouraging performances and a great deal of experience gained by defenders D'Yonna Riley and Emily Hansinger, as well as freshman goalkeeper Gina Maiorana.
"We were very inconsistent from game to game on both ends of the field in terms of creating enough chances and tightening the defense," Tambi said. "Early on we had a lot of success, but for us, we're not satisfied with the overall record, but we hope to learn from all of the experiences to get a lot better."
Junior forward Katie Ritter was one of the standout players this year for the Pirates, not just because she racked up three goals and two assists, but because of her effort out on the field. Looking back, Ritter said she knows this season will be used to push this team going forward.
"We can use this year as a drive and motivation to progress everyone and put that much more effort into next spring and summer," Ritter said.
Hansinger echoed Ritter's statement and said that with work, the team is looking ahead to next year.
"We have a little bit to work on, but we have a lot to look forward to next year."
Kenny Lenoci can be reached at Kenneth.lenoci@student.shu.edu.
