The Seton Hall men’s soccer team couldn’t hold off a second-half surge from Princeton University, as they fell 3-1 in non-conference play on Tuesday at Owen T. Carroll Field.
For much of the first half, it was a defensive battle. Both sides created chances, but neither could find the back of the net, until the closing minutes of the half. In the 42nd minute, Princeton sophomore midfielder Kristian Kelley broke the scoreless draw by cleaning up a throw-in and slotting the ball into the far post. The goal was not just Kelley’s first of the season, but his first recorded shot of the season as well.
The Pirates went into halftime trailing 1-0, forced to regroup and adjust. They also trailed Princeton in shots attempts, with the Tigers having recorded eight shots to the Pirates’ three.
At the start of the second half, SHU pushed hard for an equalizer. The Pirates earned four corner kicks in the first five minutes of the half alone. They nearly broke through when sophomore forward Mikkel Lejbowicz forced a save from Princeton junior goalkeeper Andrew Samuels in the 56th minute.
SHU suffered a brief pause in their momentum in the 61st minute. Senior defender Konstantin Donalies was shown his second red card of the season after a last defender challenge just outside the box, which left SHU down a player for the final third of the game.
But SHU’s momentum resumed: Just three minutes after the sendoff, the Pirates capitalized on a set piece to tie the game. Senior midfielder Axel Berglund whipped in a corner that found Agustin Resch, who redirected the ball toward the net. Sophomore midfielder Aidan Tisony pounced on the loose ball, and put it away in the 64th minute. It was Tisony’s second goal of the season and just the second of his career, with Resch earning his first-ever assist as well.
Aidan Tisony, who scored for the Pirates against Princeton | Photo by Ace Crawford
But Princeton wasted little to no time regaining control of the game: Less than two minutes later, senior forward Daniel Ittycheria gave the Tigers their lead back with a strike off a setup from fellow senior Jack Jasinski in the 65th minute.
The Pirates continued to push forward looking for another equalizer; being a player down, however, posed a challenge for them as Princeton’s attack was relentless. In the 78th minute, Bardia Hormozi put the finishing touch on the Tigers’ victory with an unassisted goal which sealed the 3-1 result.
For SHU, the defeat snapped some notable streaks: It was their first home non-conference loss since Oct 29, 2019; the first time the Pirates conceded more than two goals at Owen T. Carroll Field since Oct 6, 2021; and their first loss at home at home so far this season (previously unbeaten in six games at home).
At full time, Princeton outshot SHU 15-to-ten, with ten of the Tigers’ attempts being on goal compared to just four for the Pirates. Both sides finished with six corners each, but the Tigers took advantage of the chances they had. SHU Senior goalkeeper Matias Molina was tested heavily throughout the game, finishing with seven saves. This game marked the first time in his 22 career starts that he allowed more than two goals in a match.
With the loss, SHU’s record now stands at 3-2-3 overall and 2-2-3 in non-conference play. The Pirates will return to Big East action this Saturday, Sept. 27, as they travel to Milwaukee to face Marquette University for their second conference game of the season.
Jaden Highsmith is the assistant editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at jaden.highsmith@student.shu.edu.
