Seton Hall women’s soccer faced nonstop pressure from UConn on Wednesday night, but a strong goalkeeping performance helped the Pirates leave Storrs with a 0-0 draw.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kate Kleinsmith recorded eight saves as the Pirates (4-1-5, 0-1-3 BIG EAST) were outshot 28-2 by the Huskies (3-2-6, 1-0-2 BIG EAST).
UConn controlled possession early and recorded three shots on Kleinsmith in the opening eight minutes. The sophomore stopped them all, keeping the Huskies from scoring early.
SHU’s first opportunity came in the 10th minute when junior Kileigh Gorman sent a shot over the crossbar. It was the Pirates' only shot of the first half.
The Huskies nearly broke through in the 19th minute after Kleinsmith punched away a cross into the box. UConn's Ines Nourani fired a shot toward the net, but SHU defender Cassidy Brown cleared the ball off the goal line.
UConn entered halftime outshooting the Pirates 10-1, but couldn’t score on Kleinsmith..
The Huskies continued their offensive pressure by recording 18 more shots in the second half.
SHU’s only second-half scoring chance came when a shot from Brown sailed over the crossbar in the 62nd minute.
Kleinsmith kept SHU in the match. She stopped shots from Anya Montano and Maree-Anne Van Doesburg early in the second half, then denied Maeve Staunton in the 77th minute.
The Huskies almost took the lead in the 84th minute when a shot from Se-Hanna Mars hit the left post.
UConn continued attacking in the final minutes, earning seven corner kicks over the last eight minutes of regulation.
SHU’s defense held firm to secure the draw.
The Huskies finished with a 13-2 advantage in corner kicks and a 9-0 advantage in shots on target.
SHU earned its third consecutive draw and remains unbeaten in its last three matches.
The Pirates will return to action Saturday, Oct. 17, when they host Providence after a 10-day break.
Jaden Highsmith is the head editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at jaden.highsmith@student.shu.edu.
