In their final game at Owen T. Carroll Field this season, Seton Hall’s women’s soccer team hosted the University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies on Saturday night.
This comes after a 3-0 road loss the Pirates suffered against Creighton University on Oct. 22. With the loss, SHU still has yet to earn a win in conference play, with this game against UConn serving as another opportunity to do so.
From one end of the BIG EAST standings to the other, the Pirates’ opponents, UConn, enter this game as the third best team in the conference with an overall record of 10-3-3 and conference record of 6-1-2. With their 1-0 win over DePaul University also on Wednesday, the Huskies clinched a spot in the four-team BIG EAST Championship that begins on Nov. 6.
The first half of the game saw the Huskies applying high pressure to SHU’s backline, giving the Pirates little room to operate. As such, UConn capitalized on turnovers that the Pirates committed in their own half of the field, with some of them turning into quality chances on goal—none of them, however, resulting in a goal yet.
As the half progressed, UConn let up on their pressure, and SHU played a more possessive and patient game. The Pirates saw their best chance of the first half in the 35th minute, when freshman midfielder Reece Paget’s half-volley from just outside of the box curled wide-right of the goal.
At halftime, the game was tied 0-0, with UConn having recorded nine total shots (three of them on goal) and three corner kicks. Meanwhile, Paget’s effort in the 35th minute was the only shot SHU managed in the first half.
The Pirates put up a better effort in the second half, with them playing more aggressive on offense and defense. However, despite SHU’s better second half, the Huskies were the ones to break the deadlock in the 82nd minute: after a cross from junior forward Alayna Taylor from the right wing, sophomore forward Naia Ocio scored a right-footed, cross-body, first-time volley in the box to take the lead late in the game.
The Pirates fought for an equalizer with the remaining time they had, but the Huskies ultimately managed to maintain their lead en route to a 1-0 win.
Although they managed just three shots in the second half—a testament to SHU’s improved second- half-play—the Huskies outshot the Pirates on the game 12-to-1, with half of their shots being on goal. With the win, UConn improves to 11-3-3 on the season, while SHU falls to 3-8-6 overall and 0-8-1 in conference play.
Despite the loss, it was a special moment for seniors Grace Mitchell and Sarah Mitchell, who were honored before the game as the team’s only players graduating this year.
Twin sisters from Perth, Western Australia, the two have been on the same team ever since they started playing soccer. SHU is no exception, as the twins have spent their entire collegiate career playing together in South Orange.
Both started in the game and made key contributions—the most notable of which came in the 51st minute, when Sarah prevented UConn from scoring a would-be goal with an incredible goal-line-block.
In a post shared to the women’s soccer team’s Instagram page ahead of the game, head coach Josh Osit praised the twins and the positive energy they always bring to the team.
“They’re just great kids,” Osit said. “Their energy is always positive—it doesn’t matter what kind of day they’re having.”
“Everyone likes them—they’re kind people, they’re supportive,” he added. “ I think twins have a special bond that all coaches should look at and be like, ‘We should have a set of twins on our team.’”
In an odd coincidence, both twins suffered an ACL injury that would sideline them for the season last year. Luckily, the “special bond” they share and support they showed each helped them throughout the recovery process—and them both starting this game serves as a testament to the strength of that bond and support.
As such, Osit expressed that the support the two show each other—whether recovering from an injury or not—serves as a strong example for the rest of the team to follow.
“Just the way that they were with each other, especially during their injuries—it’s just different,” he said. “I think a lot of our team can look at those two and be like, “We might not all be twins [like them], but, in a way, we are all sisters and we can support each other the way that they do.’”
“Seeing how they are together is a great example of how we all should be together,” he added. “So it's been really awesome getting them and keeping them here for four years, and I’m going to miss them when they’re gone.”
The Pirates will have another chance to earn their first win in conference play on Nov. 1, when they face the Marquette University Golden Eagles in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the final game of the season.
Zachary Mawby is the head editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
