“This was a big win today,” Coach Sue Ryan said. “It was our first conference win and our first win against Hartford.”

The Seawolves only goal in the victory came off of the foot of freshman midfielder Colleen McKenna, who took the pass from Brooke Barbuto and drove the ball past the Hawks goalie and into the top right corner of the net. McKenna’s performance did not go unrecognized as she was named the America East Women’s Soccer Co-Rookie of the Week, according to the SBU Athletics website.

While the Seawolves offense was constantly on the attack with eight shots on goal, the defense also stepped up, giving the team its third shut out victory of the season. Marisa Viola denied the Hawks offense on all six of their shots.

The Seawolves received a scare when Viola injured her left shoulder on a collision in front of the goal, with only three minutes remaining in the second half. Despite the injury, Viola stayed in goal until the final whistle sounded. She walked to the sideline and sat on the bench, wincing in pain. Players and coaches crowded around Viola as trainers wrapped ice on her shoulder.

The trainers could not comment on the injury without Viola’s consent, but Coach Ryan was impressed with her goalkeeper’s performance. “She is a tough kid,” Coach Ryan said. “She stayed in goal the whole time even though she was hurt.”

With the victory, the Seawolves climbed back to a .500 winning percentage with an overall record of (6-6) and are in second place in the American East standings. The team heads to Durham, New Hampshire this week to take on the Wildcats (3-8-1). Coming off of Sunday’s big win, the Seawolves will look to win back-to-back games for the second time this season.