The Seton Hall men’s soccer team opened its regular season slate with a thrilling 2-1 double-overtime victory over the Army Black Knights on Friday in West Point, N.Y.
Both teams set the tone of the game early, as they traded shots and fouls throughout the first 15 minutes. Seton Hall was the first to draw blood, however, as forward CJ Tibbling netted the first goal of the season on a penalty kick towards the end of the 16th minute. The gritty nature of the game showed when the first half concluded, as the teams combined for 12 fouls, with Seton Hall picking up eight and Army with four. Army also picked up a yellow card near the end of the first half.
The second half started with the Pirates firing two shots on goal, one from Francisco Alderete that hit off the post and another by Tibbling that was saved by Army’s goalkeeper, Justin Stoll. The Pirates defense was relentless and held off the Black Knights until the 81st minute, when Army finally broke through with a goal to tie the game at one to force extra time.
The first overtime of ten minutes saw one shot by Seton Hall and two by Army before the period came to a close. In the second overtime, Seton Hall got a few shots off to start before Tibbling headed in the game-winning goal in the 104th minute for his second of the game, giving Seton Hall its first win of the season after dominating in exhibition matches.
[caption id="attachment_23648" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Photo via SHU Athletics[/caption]
The Pirates finished with 12 shots (five on goal) compared to Army’s 13 shots (four on goal) and both goalkeepers racked up three saves. Seton Hall had six corner kicks, while Army had four and the Pirates finished with a staggering 18 fouls on the night, compared to Army’s eight.
Seton Hall's next game will be on Tuesday, August 28 at Central Connecticut State. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Joseph Ippolito can be reached at joseph.ippolito@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @joeippy.
Comments
