Seton Hall University
Rutgers
WSOC Falls to Rutgers in Finale
10/20/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Rutgers scored once in each half to come away with the win, but the Scarlet Knights only finished with a 12-11 advantage over Seton Hall in shot attempts.
The opening half was mostly a defensive struggle, although both teams had a number of quality scoring chances neither squad was able to break through until the Scarlet Knights found the back of the net late in the half.
Rutgers' leading scorer Jonelle Filigno was the first to test Seton Hall starting goalkeeper Alyssa Kelly (Southampton, N.J.), belting a line drive shot in the 11th minute from 15-yards out directly on net for Kelly to knock down.
A few minutes later it was Seton Hall creating a scoring chance of its own. Assist leader Ashley Clarke (Paramus, N.J.) served a great pass into the area from the right side, angling directly for leading scorer Stephanie Soma (Franklin, Mass.). Soma, who was well defended, attempted to shake the coverage but was unable to get a clean attempt on net, and RU keeper Emmy Simpkins gathered up the loose ball in front of the net.
Kelly made a spectacular play on a Shannon Woeller cross right along the end line that surely saved a goal. With a pair of forwards waiting for Woeller's pass, Kelly managed to knock the ball away for her defense to clear it out, and at the time preserve a 0-0 tie.
It was in the 43rd minute that Rutgers scored its first goal of the game, and it came off a long set piece. SHU was whistled for a foul 25-yards out from the net and Rachel Cole took the free kick for the Scarlet Knights. She sent a nearly perfect shot into the upper left corner and past Kelly to put Rutgers ahead, 1-0, and register her third goal of the season.
Seton Hall was not without a number of great scoring chances throughout the second half of play and they came from a number of different players.
Soma finished the game with three shots, two on net, including a hard blast from the top of the 18 that Rutgers' goalkeeper Emmy Simpkins was able to save.
Sophomore Angie Shehaj (New Brunswick, N.J.) and junior Katie Ritter (Hagerstown, Md.) were also very aggressive on the offensive end over the final 20 minutes of action.
Shehaj, who had two shots in the game, fired one angled shot toward the near post in the 71st minute that narrowly missed to the right side, and she added a second attempt in the 78th minute that suffered the same fate.
Ritter also had three shots for Seton Hall and was the closest to getting the Pirates on the scoreboard. In the 60th minute she guided a low shot through the defense toward the far post that looked like it was going to beat Simpkins, but the RU keeper managed to react just quickly enough, diving to her left toward the far post to keep the ball in play for a defender to clear out of bounds.
The Scarlet Knights' second goal came in the 73rd minute, with Filigno one-timing a pass from Amy Pietrangelo out to Stefanie Scholz on the right side of the area that she shot toward the far post and past Kelly.
Kelly finished the game with three saves, and freshman Gina Maiorana (Street, Md.) played the final 16 minutes and made one save for The Hall.
Seton Hall concludes its season with a 7-12 overall record and a 2-9 mark in BIG EAST play.
