Seton Hall
Alderete goal leads Pirates past Highlanders 1-0
Date: October 17, 2018By Evando Thompson
The Seton Hall men’s soccer team defeated NJIT 1-0 Tuesday evening, to end their non-conference slate as regular season play winds down.
The Pirates dominated in shots as they led the Highlanders 15-8, controlled possession for much of both halves, and defended well with Goalkeeper Andreas Nota’s five saves.
Head coach Andreas Lindberg thought the team deserved to have more goals on the scoreboard based on how they played. “We just need to finish our chances,” said Lindberg. “If we scored a second goal, we could have a cushion – without it, the game completely changes if we make a mistake or the opponent makes a good play. We had 15 shots today, but only one goal.”
In the beginning of the first half, the Pirates came out a bit lackadaisical, allowing the Highlanders to get downfield and creates chances. Nota came up big on the night, as he saved two shots in the opening 20 minutes to fend off NJIT attacks.
The Hall began to seize momentum as the first half progressed.
Forward C.J. Tibbling saw his header chance just escape the goal frame as he attempted to break the deadlock in the 21st minute. It took less than three minutes after being subbed on for eventual goal scorer Francisco Alderete to get on the stat sheet. The midfielder also had a header that sailed high in similar fashion to Tibbling’s.
In the second half, the Pirates became more aggressive, attempting to capitalize on goal-scoring chances.
Seven minutes into the half, Tibbling did a step-through move and attempted a shot that was saved by NJIT. Alderete rushed into the picture and struck the ball into the back of the net before the Highlanders could react for the goal to break the deadlock – the super sub’s second goal of the season.
“I gave it to them a bit at halftime,” said Lindberg. “We had to be more aggressive and play with passion. We had to step up and make plays as we eventually got the shutout, which was great.”
The Seton Hall men’s soccer team will look to repeat their form as they resume Big East conference play against Georgetown University. The Pirates take on the Hoyas at Owen T. Carroll Field for Alumni Day, with kickoff scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 20 at 2 p.m.
Evando Thompson can be reached at evando.thompson@student.shu.edu
