Credit: Seton Hall Athletics
Pirates Struggle Offensively, Drop Final Road Game to UConn 1-0
Published: Sunday, October 27, 2024
by AJ Rayer
Despite a great defensive showing, Seton Hall was not able to find the back of the net on Sunday, as they fell on the road to UConn 1-0. Seton Hall drops to 4-11-3 on the season and 1-6-2 in BIG EAST play. With their senior day win, UConn officially clinched a berth to the six-team Big East Championship next week. The Huskies improved to 10-4-4 on the season and 4-3-3 in the BIG EAST.
The Huskies came out of the gates aggressively, as they had multiple corner kicks and free kick opportunities in the opening minutes. In the 20th minute, UConn scored the lone goal of the day when midfielder Maddie Fried’s shot was deflected, which opened a lane for senior Laci Lewis on the right side.
Lewis delivered a strike that grazed the top of the crossbar and past Pirates’ goalkeeper Anna Prawer, putting UConn on the board. Additionally, the goal marked Lewis’ first of her career, in her final home game as a Husky.
The Hall struggled to get into a rhythm offensively throughout the rest of the half as UConn dominated time of possession, keeping Seton Hall in their own third for most of the half. After the end of the first 45 minutes, the Pirates had taken only three shots to UConn’s eight.
Seton Hall made some key adjustments coming out of the break, one being inserting freshman Avery Strohecker in net for Anna Prawer. This move has become more common for the Pirates as the season has progressed. However, the Huskies did not take their foot off the gas as the second half began.
The Pirates narrowly escaped another goal in the 49th minute when a pass into the box by Alayna Taylor found an open Lina Dantes. Dantes first shot was blocked by Avery Strohecker, and the follow up was deflected by Chiara Pucci, just inches from crossing the goal line.
Although the Pirates could not get anything going offensively, Strohecker’s defensive play of making diving stop after stop kept her team within close distance. Seton Hall finished the game with seven saves, with Strohecker having six of them.
As the game reached its pivotal minutes, the Pirates started to show some frustration. In the 83rd minute, Brina Micheels received a yellow card for dissent. The Pirates had multiple throw-in opportunities in UConn’s third during the last five minutes of the match, but UConn’s back line was able to withstand the Pirates’ attack and hold on 1-0 for their 10th win of the year.
Statistically, the Huskies finished the game with 21 total shots to Seton Hall’s four, with 11 of their shots being on goal. For the Pirates, Sunday proved to be their only match of the season where they did not attempt a corner kick all game.
With one match remaining in the season, the Pirates will look to make their mark on the 2024 season one last time as they return to Owen T. Carroll field on Thursday, Halloween night, to take on Marquette at 6 p.m.
AJ Rayer can be reached at alexander.rayer@student.shu.edu.Posted in: sports,