In a match filled with fouls, goals, and late-game drama, the Seton Hall men’s soccer team drew 2-2 with Sacred Heart University on Thursday night at Owen T. Carroll Field.
The game started slowly, with both sides unable to break the deadlock in the first half despite several chances from the Pirates, who outshot the Pioneers 6-to-1 before the break. The second half, however, was a back-and-forth thriller.
SHU struck first in the 61st minute when senior midfielder Aidan Tisony snuck one past Sacred Heart’s goalkeeper for the first goal of his collegiate career off a perfectly-timed pass from sophomore midfielder Til Kauschke to give the Pirates a brief 1–0 lead. Sacred Heart, however, quickly responded: after coming off the bench, sophomore forward Eli Stein buried the equalizer in the 76th minute with help from senior forward Sam McCann.
Not even 30 seconds later, the game took a wild turn. Sacred Heart senior goalkeeper Luca Marinelli was sent off with a red card in the 77th minute, leaving the Pioneers short-handed. SHU then made the most of their man-advantage by taking the lead right back, thanks to senior midfielder Hugo Gerbore scoring the ensuing free kick right after Marinelli was sent off.
But the Pioneers refused to fold. In the 81st minute, Sacred Heart senior midfielder Javier Lopez Cayuela finished off a pass from fellow senior midfielder David Garcia Gallego to tie the match at 2–2.
The closing minutes were even more intense. With less than a minute to play, a scuffle broke out after an intentional handball by Sacred Heart, leading to a free kick for the Pirates. The officials had their hands full, issuing a total of six yellow cards during the altercation—only two of which were on the Pirates. Players from both benches were involved, but the match ultimately resumed and finished level at two apiece.
At full time, SHU outshot their SHU counterparts 12-to-4, with half of the Pirates’ shots being on goal. It was a high-fouling game, 18 total fouls were committed by both teams, with the Pioneers committing over half of them (12), and ten total cards were issued by the referee.
With the result, the Pirates improve to 1-1-3 on the season and remain undefeated at home. They will look to remain as such as they return to Owen T. Carroll Field this Sunday to host the Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights in the fourth game of their five-game homestand.
Jaden Highsmith is the assistant editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at jaden.highsmith@student.shu.edu.
