Seton Hall
Xavier blanks Seton Hall, 5-0
Date: October 6, 2019By: Heaven Hill
After a close road loss to St. John’s on Thursday, the Seton Hall Pirates were absolutely obliterated by the Xavier Musketeers 5-0, on Xavier’s Alumni Weekend in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Xavier came into this game with an 8-2-2 record, so it was clear from the start that a team of that caliber, against a young and inexperienced team with a new head coach in Ciara Crinion, the game was gonna get ugly.
And it did not take long for the Musketeers to get on the board, as sophomore forward Brooke Sroka managed to slot a goal into the back of the net in the second minute, off of a brilliant serve into the box from top freshman recruit Jackie Richards. Just like that, the Hall were battling from behind, against a team they were outmatched against.
Xavier continued to apply pressure on Seton Hall’s freshman goalie Harpa Johannsdottir, who was just overwhelmed by the constant barrage of shots. She put up a good fight, blocking a shot from Richards in the eigth minute. However, the Musketeers just simply wouldn’t stop, with relentless corner kicks and shots.
Xavier redshirt junior midfielder Carrie Lewis had a shot on goal that was saved by Johannsdottir, but just minutes later, Lewis would assist on a goal from a corner kick, with sophomore midfielder Molly McLaughlin finishing the pass with a header in the box in the 21st minute. The score was now 2-nil, with just over 20 minutes passed in the game. This is a Seton Hall team that has struggled to score over this season, and now the hole was even larger to climb out of.
Johannsdottir racked up three more saves nearing halftime, deflecting shots on goal from Xavier players Samantha Dewey, Hayley Jakovich and Maddie Thiss. Just after the shot from Thiss, the Hall attempted their first shot of the game, as junior midfielder Danielle Camilleri had her attempt blocked.
Unfortunately for the Pirates, Dewey found pay dirt for her 10th goal of the season pushing the Musketeer lead to 3-nil just before halftime. A few fouls and substitutions later, and the Hall were heading to the locker room looking for answers.
Seton Hall came out of the locker room and were ambushed almost instantly, as Xavier finished yet another goal off a corner kick in the 47th minute, with Jakovich finding the back of the net with an assist from senior midfielder Grace Bahr. Minutes later, Dewey hit the jackpot yet again for her 11th goal of the year, assisted by Lewis in the 49th minute. After that goal pushed the lead to 5-nil, Xavier continued to apply pressure on Johannsdottir but their scoring rampage was over.
At the final horn, Xavier had an alarming advantage in both shots and corner kicks, 23 to 4 and 11 to 1, respectively. The Hall were outclassed from start to finish and it showed everywhere, and it seems as if a season that once had promise is now spiraling down the drain.
The Pirates return home to Owen T. Carroll Field on Thursday to take on the Villanova Wildcats. On Pediatric Cancer Awareness Night, let’s see if Seton Hall can snap this losing streak and get back on track.
Heaven Hill can be reached at heaven.hill@student.shu.edu.
