Seton Hall University
St. Peter's
Men's Soccer Drops Season Opener
8/25/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
The matchup marked the 2012 season opening tilt for both squads with the Peacocks improving to 1-0 with SHU falling to 0-1.
The Pirates had ample scoring opportunities in the first half and really controlled the opening 10 minutes of the game, outshooting Saint Peter's 5-0 over that stretch. Finally in the 12th minute The Hall had a superb chance to score, but Saint Peter's goalkeeper Carlos Suarez made a great save on a John Gurel (Istanbul, Turkey) breakaway to keep the score tied at 0-0.
Greene found the back of the net in the 25th minute to provide Seton Hall with its first goal of the young season. The Pirates had a pair of corner kick opportunities over a span of just 90 seconds and on the second attempt junior forward Max Garcia (Jersey City, N.J.) sent a cross to Greene to the right side of the goal that he headed in to give SHU a 1-0 lead.
Saint Peter's answered with a tying strike 10 minutes later. Maged Alkasimi started the play down the left side deep in SHU territory and found Noah Sadaoui with a low cross that he one-timed past Seton Hall goalkeeper Kevin Bonder (Whippany, N.J.).
Seton Hall created two more tremendous scoring chances later in the period, but came away empty handed each time. Following a foul call, senior Adriano Gabriele (North Babylon, N.Y.) took a restart from 30-yards out and sent a beautiful curving pass into the middle of the box. The long ball found Garcia but his header sailed over the cross bar and the game remained tied.
It was Garcia nearly giving Seton Hall a lead once again with 1:10 remaining in the half. Sophomore Konrad Plewa (Maniowy, Poland) made a long pass down the middle of the field to Garcia as he slipped behind the Saint Peter's defense. He was taken down in the box but no foul was called, and the teams went into the break tied 1-1.
Gurel and the Pirates' attack had the field tilted towards the SPU net at the outset of the second half. Just a few minutes after the restart, the Istanbul native found space at the edge of the area and fired a right-footed rocket that soared over the crossbar. Soon after, Gurel drew a foul that gave SHU a free kick in a threatening position just outside the 18-yard box. Max Garcia stepped up to take it but blasted a shot into the Peacocks' well-positioned wall.
Despite some early chances for Seton Hall to secure a second half lead, a momentary lapse in defense in the 54th minute put Saint Peter's in control on the scoreboard. It was again Sadaoui who provided the strike for the visitors as he worked himself open in the area touched home a centering pass from Batim Bajrami to give SPU a 2-1 edge.
Sadaoui completed his hat-trick 13 minutes later when he controlled a pass at the top of the box and curled a shot past Bonder and just inside the left post to move the score to 3-1 in favor of the Peacocks.
Seton Hall narrowly missed capitalizing on an opportunity to cut into the deficit, producing a flurry of shots in the 72nd minute. Suarez came up big again for Saint Peter's when he stopped two close-range efforts in succession, but the rebound ricocheted out to sophomore Bolu Akinyode (Lagos Nigeria) who found the ball at his feet just outside the 18-yard box. The second-year midfielder got a shot off clean with Suarez scrambling to get back to his line, but the attempt again sailed high.
The Pirates threatened again in the 81st minute when they mounted a counter attack following an excellent defensive effort from sophomore Jason Wellington (West Palm Beach, Fla.). The ball eventually found Gurel on the left side who took it down near the touch-line and sent a centering pass that nearly found an oncoming Cody Hess (Bernville, Pa.).
Seton Hall finished the game with a 21-12 advantage in shot attempts, with the Pirates firing nine of those shots on goal. Bonder finished the game with four saves while Saurez stopped eight SHU shots.
Seton Hall's next match, the second of a four-match homestand to start the year, is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 27, when Army visits Owen T. Carroll Field. Start-time is slated for 7:00 p.m.
