Seton Hall’s men’s soccer team delivered one of their strongest offensive performances of the season in a 5-0 win over Florida International University (FIU) at Owen T. Carroll Field on Tuesday.
With the result, SHU improved to 5-2-4 (2-0-1 in conference play) and extended their unbeaten streak to three games (2-0-1). Meanwhile, their opponents suffered their fifth loss of the season (5-5-2), as they were unable to find an answer to the Pirates’ offense all night long.
This comes just hours after the Pirates were named the 21st-best team in the nation in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll. With the ranking, the Pirates have now been nationally ranked at least once in five of the last six seasons. Last season, the Pirates were ranked seven times, peaking at No. 8 in the Sept. 17 version of the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
From the opening whistle, SHU looked dangerous: they applied constant pressure, created chances, and forced the Panthers’ defense to scramble around the box.
The Pirates’ first goal came in the 14th minute, when junior forward Joseph Min delivered his second goal of the season off an assist from graduate defender Sam Bjork. Min’s strike set the tone for the rest of the match.
Not long after, junior midfielder Thomas Sellwood found the net for his first goal of the season with help from senior defender Liam Guske. With the momentum entirely on the Pirates' side, the offense stayed alive and continued to score. Just three minutes later, Bjork scored a goal of his own, with assists from Sellwood.
That quick two-goal sequence gave the Pirates a commanding 3-0 lead at halftime. They managed five shots in the first half, with nearly all of them being on goal.
In the second half, SHU’s offense stayed relentless. At the 75th minute mark, freshman midfielder Giacomo Mana extended the Pirates' lead to four with the first goal of his collegiate career, assisted by senior midfielder Axel Berglund and Guske. Then, in the 82nd minute, graduate forward Mans Saebbo scored the fifth and final goal of the game to complete the blowout.
On the night, the Pirates managed 10 shots (seven of which were on target) compared to their opponents' eight (six on target). The Panthers’ goalkeeper made five saves, while SHU’s backline and goalkeeper shut out FIU the entire night. In the first half, FIU had a few opportunities to score, but were unable to capitalize on them. In the second half, the Panthers pressed harder, trying to break through, but never found the back of the net thanks to SHU's defense.
The Pirates’ dominant offensive performance marked one of the more complete efforts by them this season. It also came at an important time, as they look to build momentum heading into upcoming stretch of conference games.
The Pirates will travel to Pennsylvania to face the University of Villanova Wildcats on Oct. 11. They will then return to Owen T. Carroll Field on Oct. 17 to host the Akron University Zips.
Jaden Highsmith is the assistant editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at jaden.highsmith@student.shu.edu.
