The Seton Hall women’s soccer team secured a tough win in their match against New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) on Sunday.
Following their two consecutive losses against Princeton and UNC-Chapel Hill, the Pirates were able to score a game-winning goal in the last four minutes of the game leading to a 1-0 victory.
The Pirates are currently (3-3-1) with wins against Marist, Rider, and now NJIT. This game was nothing short of entertaining, as the Pirates brought their A-game in the first half. The Pirate’s strong offensive players challenged the NJIT Highlanders with three back-to-back goal attempts early on as the Pirates made their ambitions clear for the game.
The spotlight was on National Conference Offensive Player of the Year, senior midfielder Natalie Tavana, who would make her presence known with multiple attempts on goal in the first half.
Much of the offense was led by the Pirates, with eight attempts on goal before halftime, yet most of the shots taken were too wide of the net. Coach Osit, the head coach of the women’s soccer team, commented on the first-half performance, hoping for “more quality” in their plays.
The Pirates were constantly stopped short of scoring by defensive powerhouse, Samantha Constantine, in goal. NJIT had a very strong backline throughout this game, requiring much effort from the Pirates to push through offensively.
NJIT stepped up in the second half with close attempts on goal which were miraculously saved by Seton Hall’s first-year goalie, Avery Strohecker, who blocked any chance of a Highlander’s win.
Despite the 0-0 score for much of the game, this game was a back-and-forth contest with multiple attempts on goal from both teams. The Pirates had five corner kicks throughout the game, none of which materialized into a tie-breaking goal.
A key to the Pirates’ success was the stellar substitutes that came in and immediately contributed. Among them were Cameron Williams and Skyler Matusz, with Matusz scoring the game-winning goal for the team.
In the last four minutes of the game, coming up from the back end, Matusz managed to get past Constantine, scoring her first goal and securing the Pirate’s third win of the season.
Hoping to keep this momentum, the Pirates will play Lafayette College on Sept. 12 in Easton, Pennsylvania at 7 p.m.
Grace Tylee is the copy editor for the Setonian’s sports section. She can be reached at grace.tylee@student.shu.edu.
