Quick Hits

·          Senior Chanel Johnson scored the game-winning goal, her 11th career goal, for the second-straight game, lifting the Hawks to a 2-0 start to the 2014 season. The game-winning tally is the fifth time in Johnson's career  that she has scored the winning goal. 

·          The 2-0 start to the season is the first time under head coach John Natale the Hawks have won the first two games of a season.

·          Overall, it is the ninth time a Hartford team has started 2-0, most recently in 1999.

·          The Hawks outshot their opponent for the second straight game, closing out the second game of the year with a 9-6 shot advantage.

·          Senior keeper Alison Koerkenmeier shutout her second-straight opponent against NJIT. In six career starts, Koerkenmeier has shutout four opponents.

Full Release

NEWARK, N.J. – Senior striker Chanel Johnson scored her second goal of the season off a rebound to lift the University of Hartford women's soccer team to a 1-0 shutout of NJIT. Hartford improves to 2-0 on the season while the Highlanders fall to 1-1 overall. 

The Hawks tested the NJIT defense and keeper Samantha Bersett twice before breaking the scoreless tie. The first two shots of the game came off the boot of sophomore forward Aaliyah Ingram, who made her first career start. Ingram's first shot, which came 102 seconds into the action, forced Bersett to make her first of four total saves.

Having played just over 29 minutes, the Hawks forced their first corner kick of the game which was initiated by junior midfielder Sidney Spremullo whose service into the box was sent away from the goal by an NJIT defender. Johnson responded by tracking down the rebound and blasting her 11th career goal to the back of the net eluding all attempts from Bersett.

Hartford held the home team to just one shot in the first 45 minutes with that attempt coming in the fourth minute from Jaclyn Ward, with that shot blocked by the Hawks defense. Senior keeper Alison Koerkenmeier was not forced to make a save in the opening half, and finished with just one on the way to earning her fourth career shutout in six total starts.

Coming out of the halftime intermission, Ingram again pressured the Highlanders defensive efforts with her third shot of the game again forcing Bersett into action just 51 seconds into the period. Overall in the second half, each team would finish with five total shots with the Hawks placing three of those attempts on goal.

Koerkenmeier lone test of the game came early in the 58th minute when Rebecca Tustin fired her first of two shots on goal with the Hawks keeper ending the threat. The Hawks defense thwarted back-to-back opportunities in the 66th minute with both shots coming 17 second apart and blocked away from the net.

Hartford returns to the pitch with its first of two game in the week ahead on Thursday night when they travel just nine miles from the West Hartford campus to take on the CCSU Blue Devils. The Hawks and Blue Devils are scheduled for a 7 p.m. under the lights kick off at the CCSU Soccer field.