Coming off of a perfect 2-0 start to the Big East season the women's soccer team stays on the road to face West Virginia and Pittsburgh.
The Pirates started Big East play with a 3-2 victory over Georgetown in overtime followed by a 1-0 win over Villanova on Sept. 18.
"It is great to get a win like that," Tambi said about beating Georgetown in overtime. "It's a very good experience and hope it helps us in the long haul in tight games."
The wins improve the teams' record to 6-1-2 on the year, the best start for the Pirates since 2004. The five game unbeaten streak has also got the Hall ranked No. 5 in the NSCAA Northeast Rankings.
"It's a great way to start," head coach Kazbek Tambi said. "It gives us confidence against quality competition and give us momentum going forward."
Strong performances in the opening two Big East games have also earned two Pirates' Big East Player of the Week honors.
Senior Taylor Wilson was named the Offensive Player of the Week with two goals, both which were game-winning goals to go with two assists.
Senior Elizabeth Bond was named Goalkeeper of the Week for recording 10 saves and a shutout against Villanova.
Despite Wilson's honor, sophomore Katlyn Ritter leads the team in scoring with five goals.
"(Ritter) is doing a great job all season," Tambi said. "She plays a key role for our team and need it to continue."
The Hall's next game is on Friday when they travel to face West Virginia.
The Mountaineers are reining Big East Champions and hold a 6-3-0 overall record and a 2-0 record in the Big East.
West Virginia enters the game on a four game win streak while holding the No. 2 ranking in the NSCAA Northeast Rankings.
"West Virginia is a very talented squad," Tambi said. "They are going to be fired up to play at home and we have to make sure we are fit and focused."
In their last game, the Mountaineers defeated the nationally ranked No. 8 Marquette Golden Eagles 3-1.
This season, West Virginia is outscoring opponents 15-11 behind the offense of senior Blake Miller who has scored four goals with an assist and senior Drea Barklage with two goals and an assist.
Freshman Sara Keane has started all but one game in net for the Mountaineers, recording four shutouts in eight games, while making 26 saves and allowing 11 goals.
Following West Virginia the Hall faces an opponent who is heading in the opposite direction of the Mountaineers.
Pittsburgh is winless in their last six games and has a 1-3-6 record and a 0-1-1 record in the Big East.
The Panthers is coming off of a tie against the University of South Florida and a 3-0 loss to Marquette in their first two Big East games.
The Panthers have struggled on the defensive end for most of the year, being outscored by opponents 25-7 and outshot 187-124 in 10 games.
Leading the offense for Pittsburgh is junior Ashley Cuba with four goals and senior Katelyn Ruhe who has three assists to go with one goal.
The Pirates will face the Panthers on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Stephen Valenti can be reached at stephen.valenti@student.shu.edu.
