Sept. 4, 2009

Final Stats

Greenville, N.C. - Sophomore Gabriella Petralia (West Hempstead, N.Y.) scored her first career goal in the 38th minute to tie the game at 1-1 but the East Carolina Pirates scored twice in a five-minute span early in the second half to pull away for a 3-1 victory over the Stony Brook University women's soccer team on Friday afternoon at Bunting Field. Stony Brook falls to 0-2-1 with the loss while ECU improves to 3-0-0.

East Carolina took a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute as Bailey Wilcox hit a shot into the upper right corner of the net. But the Seawolves answered back just 37 seconds later as freshman Sa'sha Kershaw (Baltimore, Md.) stole the ball from an ECU defender and passed it to Petralia, who spun and ripped a shot from 25 yards out. The ball just got by the outstretched hand of East Carolina goalkeeper Jen Kurowicki before hitting the right post and going into the net.

Neither team was able to score in the closing minutes of the first period as they went into halftime deadlocked at 1-1. Senior goalkeeper Marisa Viola (Cutchogue, N.Y.) made six saves in the opening period for the Seawolves.

ECU struck quickly in the second half though as Amanda Malkiewicz found the back of the goal just 1:38 into the period to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead. East Carolina added another goal less than five minutes later as Jessica Woodward put home a rebound off a Rachel Wechsler shot that hit the post.

Stony Brook's best chance to score in the second half came midway through the period as Petralia back heeled the ball to sophomore Colleen McKenna (Manorville, N.Y.), who took a shot that went just wide of the net on the right side. Viola finished the game with eight saves for the Seawolves, who totaled six shots in the second half.

The Seawolves return to action on Sunday, Sept. 6, traveling to take on North Carolina State. Game time is set for 1 p.m.