The women’s soccer team (3-2 overall) notched back-to-back wins in its final two games before the start of conference play, defeating Seton Hall University (3-5-1 overall) on Thursday before beating the New Jersey Institute of Technology (3-4-1 overall) on Sunday. Both wins were earned at home, maintaining the Leopards’ perfect record at Gummeson Grounds this season.
The match against Seton Hall had a cagey start. Neither team registered a shot until the 15th minute when a cleared Leopards’ corner found the feet of freshman defender Camryn Fitch, who fired her volley wide left. Just over two minutes later, the Maroon and White would score the opening goal.
Senior midfielder Ani Khachadourian’s low cross was deflected in the Pirates’ penalty area, where junior forward Katrina Santelli was able to knock it down. Santelli then fed the ball to junior midfielder April McDonald, who crossed for sophomore midfielder Nadia Zaffanella to score, knocking the ball past the Seton Hall goalkeeper with her chest.
“It was definitely not one of my most beautiful goals that I’ve had here at Lafayette,” Zaffanella said in an interview for Lafayette Sports Network. “But hey, a goal is a goal and those two points really make a difference.”
The Leopards would retain the lead at the half, despite two nervy moments from corners late in the period. In the 39th minute, a Seton Hall corner came off a Lafayette defender’s head and towards the goal, flashing just wide of the far post. The second corner evaded sophomore goalkeeper Catherine Apker, but no Seton Hall players could get a telling touch.
The Maroon and White would continue their defensive strength in the second half, despite a wave of offensive pressure from Seton Hall. Head coach Mick Statham praised the team’s defensive resilience during these moments.
“We knew we were going to have our hands full at points during the game,” Statham said in an interview for Lafayette Sports Network. “We had to be really resilient. We had to dig in a little bit.”
The final chance for Seton Hall came in the 89th minute when a long-range effort came off of the crossbar. A Seton Hall forward tried to follow up on the rebound, but could only direct her header high and into the hands of Apker, giving the Leopards the 1-0 win and their second consecutive shutout win at home and making the Georgetown loss a distant memory.
“I didn’t think we were great with the ball, but I felt we were pretty resilient out of possession,” Statham said. “I thought that did the job.”
The match against New Jersey Institute of Technology on Sunday followed a similar pattern. The Leopards once again struck first, this time from senior midfielder Alexa Jindal. Jindal received the ball on the sideline from Zaffanella, before racing into the penalty area and beating the New Jersey Institute of Technology goalkeeper at her near post.
It was a big day for Jindal’s offensive production – she fired five shots throughout the match; all five were on target.
The Maroon and White would also continue their strong defensive record at home, limiting the Highlanders to just two shots on goal throughout the entire game. The 1-0 win made it three for three at Gummeson Grounds for the Maroon and White, with all three wins via shutout.
The Leopards will go on the road on Saturday to face Holy Cross (3-6 overall) for their first Patriot League match of the season in Worcester, Massachusetts.
