Pirates Lose Unbeaten Streak in 2-0 loss to Xavier

Published: Saturday, October 3, 2026

by Jake Marcial

The Seton Hall Pirates women’s soccer team (4-1-4) lost their first match of the season on Saturday, falling 2-0 to the Xavier Musketeers (8-2-1).

 

The Pirates came into this one not having lost a game all season, and they had not conceded a goal since their season opener against Fairleigh Dickinson. Offensively, however, they have struggled, and it has now been a full month since they scored their last goal, a 2-0 effort against St. Peter’s.

 

The offensive struggles continued in Cincinnati, as the Musketeers controlled the tempo of the match from very early on. Nothing much materialized for either side through the first 30 minutes of the half, with the teams trading shots.

 

Gianna Angelillo put a shot over the net with a clean look in the box in the 15th minute. She had another chance in the 31st minute, but a good defensive effort from Xavier kept it scoreless. On the other side, Kate Kleinsmith made a good one-on-one save at the top of the box in the 25th minute.

 

Xavier finally broke through in the final 10 minutes of the half. McKinley Berry took a shot from the top of the box that hit the crossbar but deflected off the back of the diving Kleinsmith and into the back of the net to give Xavier the 1-0 lead. It was the first goal the Pirates had allowed since their season opener.

 

The second half was more of the same, as the Pirates were unable to find anything on offense outside of counterattacks.

 

Xavier’s first chance of the second half came in the 60th minute, when the Musketeers were awarded a penalty kick after the Pirates’ Leyla Sanders was called for a handball on a free kick into the box. Frances Reuland stepped up to the spot for her first career penalty shot attempt and slotted it into the bottom right corner as Kleinsmith dove the wrong way to double the Musketeer lead.

 

Even up 2-0, Xavier kept their foot on the gas, pressuring the Pirates in their own half and trying to find a third goal. After outshooting Xavier in the first half, the Pirate offense was nowhere to be found in the second.

 

Their first, and only, shot of the second half came in the 69th minute, when Nina Davis took one from outside the box that sailed over the net. Xavier would outshoot the Pirates 10-1 in the final 45 minutes, with four shots on target.

 

Xavier controlled the ball for the final few minutes to finish out the 2-0 victory, marking their seventh consecutive game without a loss, winning six of them. For the Pirates, it was their first loss of the year, ending their undefeated streak and moving them to 0-1-2 in BIG EAST play.

 

The Pirates will stay on the road and head to Storrs to face the UConn Huskies on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., looking to find some much-needed offense.

 

Jake Marcial can be reached at jacob.marcial@student.shu.edu  

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