Neither side could muster up a goal in the first-ever meeting between the Stony Brook women’s soccer team and its new conference foe Charleston.

After a long stretch of games on the road, the Seawolves (5-7-4, 2-2-3 CAA) came back to Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium to take on the College of Charleston Cougars on Thursday. The two teams played an even-keeled and hard-fought game, from smart moves offensively to strong defense. However, neither team could find the back of the net as the final score was 0-0. 

The Seawolves’ best opportunity to score was towards the end of the game. After a red card was given to Charleston defender Lilly Smiley, Stony Brook was rewarded with a free kick. With 1:26 left on the clock, defender Catharina von Drigalski took the kick for Stony Brook. Kicking from just outside the right hashmark on the 12-yard line, her kick sailed over the net and banged off the crossbar, causing Stony Brook to lose possession and leaving the offense empty-handed. Stony Brook could not pull off another last-second goal, leading to the scoreless tie.

“I was hoping for a little bit more today,” head coach Tobias Bischof said in a postgame interview with The Statesman. “You have to give credit to Charleston. They did a good job defending us and we just didn’t create as many scoring opportunities as we would like to.”

Though both teams came up empty-handed on the scoreboard, there were still some positives for both teams. They stayed persistent offensively, as both teams posted double-digit shot totals. Stony Brook took 13 shots while Charleston attempted 19. Cougar forwards Olivia Freitas and Grace Powell each had two shots on goal but could not get them past goalkeeper Nicolette Pasquarella.

Only four players on the Seawolves took shots. Forward Luciana Setteducate led the team with six shots, while forward Reilly Rich attempted five. Each had two on goal, combining for all of the team’s on-target shots. Midfielder Linn Beck and von Drigalski also took one shot each. 

Pasquarella continued her solid play in the Seawolves’ net, as she posted her second clean sheet of the season. It was also the team’s third shutout of the season. Pasquarella made eight saves, which was double the Cougars’ goalkeepers’ total of four. 

In net for Charleston, goalkeeper Katie Carrino played the entire first half while goalkeeper Savannah Barron guarded the net for part of the second half. Barron was injured on a play that resulted in a yellow card on Stony Brook forward Gabrielle Côté. Carrino finished the game and helped lead the Cougars to the team’s seventh shutout of the season. 

Stony Brook managed to generate six corner kicks during the match, while Charleston had five corners. Some of the Seawolves’ shots on goal came off of their corners, but they were saved by the Cougars. Bischof said that despite the 13 shots, the offense still has room to improve.

“I say it all the time, as long as you create chances, you’re in a good position,” Bischof said. “[The shots] will go in at one point. The problem comes if you don’t create any chances. We did create a couple chances, not as many as I was hoping for. We were not as clean offensively today as I hoped to. We didn’t have the ball in the right spots on the field as I hoped to, but the girls put a good effort in.” 

The tie earned Stony Brook a point for the third straight game, giving them nine for the season with just two games left to play. The top eight teams make the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) tournament and Stony Brook currently finds themselves in eighth place. In all likelihood, the Seawolves are going to need to win out and get some help along the way for them to clinch a tournament berth.

The Seawolves will stay at LaValle for their final home game of the season this Sunday. They will host the UNC Wilmington Seahawks at noon as they look to continue their late push towards the playoffs. The Seahawks will look to bounce back after a 2-1 loss on Thursday to Hofstra. Stony Brook currently sits right behind them in the standings.