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Photo courtesy Seton Hall Athletics[/caption]
Soon, school will be back in session, which means the beginning of what is to be a long year for Seton Hall Athletics. With the fall sports season right around the corner, take a look at where each team stands heading into 2016:
Women’s Soccer by Matt Lamb
The Seton Hall women’s soccer Team will be looking to improve on what turned out to be a poor 2015 campaign in 2016.
Under Head Coach Rick Stainton, the Pirates finished last season with a 2-14-2 record and finished Big East play just 1-8-0, tied for last in the conference. Amanda Gulli scored four of the team’s nine total goals and Anna MacLean and Illissa Blackshear each saved at least 75 percent of shots hit at them.
The Pirates will be getting stronger this season. Only losing four seniors, they return seven players that played substantial minutes last year. Also new to the team are Ryann Ramirez and Ana Zadro, two Division I transfers that will add talent and experience to the lineup. They join a talented freshman class that includes Marissa Aniolowski, Siobhan McGovern, Jackie Robinson and Sarah Schweinberg.
Men's soccer by Matt Lapolla
The Seton Hall Pirates men’s soccer team looks to rebound from a poor 2015 season, finishing the year with a record of 0-151. Coach Gerson Echeverry aims to improve upon the team’s last place finish in the Big East Conference despite losing some senior leaders.
Alex Pozesky returns for his sophomore year after making the Big East All-Freshman team in 2015. Pozesky played for 1,374 minutes last season, taking nine shots and recording an assist. Pozesky is one of three Pirates who have been named to the All-Freshman team, joined by winger Samuel Geiler and defender John Philbin.
The Pirates open the season away on August 26 at Saint Peter’s and come back to Owen T. Carroll field on August 29 against Stony Brook.
Volleyball by Andrew Lombard
Last season’s volleyball team finished with a record of 14-16, with an 8-10 record in Big East play. The roster will stay mostly intact, as will the coaching staff headed by Allison Yaeger and assistant coach Allie Matters.
SHU graduated three seniors, including Amanda Hansen, one of Seton Hall’s all-time leaders in kills. Senior Danielle Schroeder and sophomore Sophia Coffey who will look to lead the Pirates’ new squad. Schroeder led the team last year with 328 kills, while Coffey contributed 1,056 assists for the Hall.
Women's Cross Country by Josh Rhim
Following a year where they placed last in the Big East Championships and 27th in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic meet, the Hall’s Women’s Cross Country team garnered two fourth-place performances.
Even before the season began, Coach John Moon’s squad suffered a setback by losing sophomore Christiana Rutkowski to an injury. However, the spirit of the Pirates squad was maintained through the endeavors of freshman Kiley Britten, who placed second on the team ranking in each meet this past season.
Under the leadership of Britten, the departure of five seniors - including team captain Bri Miller and standout performer Amanda Quaglia - becomes easier to cope with. With the return of Rutkowski and a steady performer in Britten, the Pirates aim to re-establish themselves in Coach Moon’s 45th season at the Hall.
Men's Cross Country by Matthew Ambrose
Moon returns all but four runners from last season’s squad heading into the 2016 men’s cross country campaign.
The team had three straight third place finishes to begin last season, but the highlight of the year came in October at the St. John’s Cross Country Fall Festival. The Pirates came out on top with a first place finish.
This year senior Victor Ricci will look to build off a strong season in which he topped the results list for the Pirates on five separate occasions. Ricci was named Big East Cross Country Athlete of the Week last October to highlight his stellar junior season. Juniors Louis Bustamante and Bryant Cordova will also seek to have strong campaigns after making significant strides last season, each having several top three finishes.
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