Seton Hall men’s soccer and Sacred Heart battled through a physical matchup Tuesday night, but neither team could break through in the second half as the match ended in a 1-1 draw. With the tie, the Pirates are now 3-2-5 at the midway point of the season.
SHU got off to a strong start, striking first in the 30th minute when Hannes Ottosson scored his first collegiate goal, assisted by Tim Valentine. The Pirates continued to apply pressure, and in the 39th minute, Nico Rubio nearly doubled the lead, but the shot was blocked.
Just before halftime, Sacred Heart flipped the momentum. Following a VAR review, the Pioneers were awarded a penalty kick after a foul inside the box. Ivan Marques converted the kick, evening the score at 1-1 heading into halftime.
Sacred Heart held a 6-5 shot advantage in the first half, while each team recorded one shot on target.
Despite controlling most of the second half, the Pirates could not turn their chances into the goal they needed to take the lead. Loke Mattsson produced one of Pirates’ best chances in the 73rd minute, but a save by Sacred Heart goalkeeper Sebastian Witt kept the game tied.
SHU finished with a 10-9 shot advantage, including three on target. Ottosson led the Pirates with three attempts, while several players finished with one shot on goal.
The Pirates will next face Xavier at home on Oct.10 in a conference matchup as they look to get back into the win column.
RJ Andino is a writer for The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at rafael.andino@student.shu.edu.
