Seton Hall University
Monmouth
Meier Scores Twice to Lead WSOC
8/29/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
With the win Seton Hall improved to 4-0 overall which marks the best start in program history. It is the first time the Pirates have won four-straight games to open a season and just the second time SHU has remained unbeaten through four contests; in 1998 the Pirates started the year with three wins and improved to 4-0-1 before suffering their first set back.
More impressive is the fact that Seton Hall still has not given up a goal all season. The Pirates entered the Tuesday night's match with shutouts in all three prior games, which tied the longest shutout streak to start a season in program history.
Meier's first goal came in 13th minute with assists coming from junior Ashley Clarke (Paramus, N.J.) and junior Katie Ritter (Hagerstown, Md.). Ritter got the play started by hitting Clarke on the left side of the box, and she sent a crisp pass into Meier from about 10-yards out that she settled and fired into the left side to record her first score of the season and her first-career game-winning goal.
Just over 10 minutes later the Clarke to Meier connection resulted in another Seton Hall score. This time the tally came off a corner kick with Clarke making a low crossing pass to Meier on the far right post that she settled and easily sent to the back of the net to put Seton Hall in front by a 2-0 margin.
The Pirates dictated play in the first half by holding a 7-3 edge in shots and 5-1 advantage in shots on goal. Seton Hall goalkeeper Alyssa Kelly (Southampton, N.J.), who was making her first start in a Seton Hall uniform, was rarely tested in the opening half, but needed to make a number of clutch plays in the second to preserve the shutout.
Monmouth finished the second half with a 12-4 edge in shot attempts and applied a lot of pressure on Seton Hall's backfield without ever managing to break through for a score.
The Hawks best scoring chance of the half came in the 77th minute as Dana Costello broke through for a breakaway that Kelly came out to head off and Costello's shot banged off the right post, allowing the Pirates to clear the ball out of play.
Kelly ended up making six saves in the game to complete the shutout, her first of the season, with five of those stops coming in the final 45 minutes.
Shehaj's first-career goal came in the 81st minute and could not have come at a better time as the Pirates were fending off Monmouth's steady offensive pressure.
Junior Marie Klemme (Berlin, Germany) started the play down the left side by hitting junior Brittney Albrecht (Mahwah, N.J.) near the top of the 18-foot line. Albrecht sent a perfectly angled ball to Shehaj down the ride side of the box, which she chased down behind the defense before blasting a shot to the far-left side to beat Monmouth's Ashley Lewis.
Seton Hall's three goals were the most in a game this season and the most since a 3-1 win over DePaul on Oct. 9, 2011. The Pirates now lead their all-time series with Monmouth 12-3-3, and have won three-straight games against the Hawks.
Seton Hall (4-0) returns to action on Friday, Aug. 31, when it hosts Delaware at Owen T. Carroll Field in South Orange, N.J., at 4 p.m.
