FAIRFIELD, Conn. — The Sacred Heart University women's soccer team continues its trek toward a berth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Postseason Tournament, hosting Saint Peter's in a must-win matchup on Wednesday, October 30. Kickoff for Wednesday's match is slated for 6 p.m. from Park Ave Field. 
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Pioneers had a rough outing in MAAC play last week, taking one out of a possible six points with an 0-1-1 record to set up an "all or nothing" matchup this week. During the midweek, the Pios traveled to former Northeast Conference (NEC) foes, Merrimack, taking an early lead before a duo of late goals in the first half from the hosts resulted in a 2-1 defeat. On Saturday, SHU possessed most of the ball and chances during the match but could not find the back of the net, resulting in a scoreless draw with Niagara. 
 
Against Merrimack, the Pios struck the back of the net with less than five minutes having been played with Kelly Medeiros netting her first goal of the season with a low, stinging shot that beat the Merrimack goalkeeper. On the goal, Grace O'Hara collected her 16^th career assist, breaking Alyssa Brandofino's assist record (15) that stood for over a decade. 
 
Though SHU had reasons to celebrate early, Merrimack struck twice in the latter part of the first half, tallying goals in the 28^th and 41^st minute to take a 2-1 lead into the break. Though SHU threatened in the second half, the Warriors held strong defensive to take the full three points. 
 
In the match against Niagara, the Pioneers had their most dominant offensive performance to date, sending a siege of 31 shots toward the Purple Eagles' goal that could have found the back of the net. However, Niagara goalkeeper Maddie Crosbie was equal to the 15 shots that made their way on target while Kyran Thievon bested the four chances that came her way as the teams ended Saturday's contest by splitting the points via a scoreless draw. 
 
ON SAINT PETER'S
The Peacocks (4-11-1, 1-9-1 MAAC) enter Wednesday's match having already been eliminated from postseason contention and looking to play spoiler against the Pios who need three points to guarantee a trip to the postseason. The Peacocks are in the midst of a four-game winless run after dropping both of their matches last week to Rider and Manhattan by identical 1-0 scorelines. 
 
Saint Peter's is led by senior midfielder Lula Mansilla Medina who has amassed 15 points through 16 matches this season. She also leads the team in assists with nine on the season courtesy of a four-assist outing against Delaware State in September. Joana Dias leads the Peacocks in goals with five on the season including scoring the game-winning goal in the Peacocks' last win which came at the expense of Mount St. Mary's via a 2-1 score. Annabelle Adams has seen the majority of the time in between the sticks, amassing a 2.00 goals against average and .706 save percentage in her 15 starts. 
 
Julia Bazi leads Saint Peter's in her fifth season with the program and has grabbed a 15-52-2 record during her tenure. Under her direction, the Peacocks have tied their highest win total in each of the last three seasons with four wins. The Pioneers hold a 7-0 record in the all-time series against Saint Peter's including a 4-0 win over the Peacocks in the latest meeting between the squads back in September 2021.