No. 15 Pirates Bounce Back, Shut Out Lehigh 2-0

Published: Tuesday, September 24, 2024

by Nick Powell

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The No. 15 Seton Hall Pirates sent a clear message with their 2-0 win over the Lehigh Mountain Hawks: they are still legit. After a 1-0 loss to Providence in their first conference game on Friday night, the Pirates, once ranked No. 8 nationally, dropped to No. 15. On Tuesday night, they faced a scrappy Lehigh team coming off its first win of the season against Army West Point.

The Pirates came out strong, looking to dominate the offensive play early in the first half. Til Kauschke and Jared Smith stood out as the leaders of the charge. Kauschke had a few promising shot attempts, while Smith consistently pressured the defense, setting up teammates for more shots that kept Lehigh’s defense on edge. Despite their aggressive play, the Pirates couldn't capitalize and entered the halftime break in a scoreless tie.

Lehigh responded well, intercepting three Pirates' cross attempts and applying pressure through forwards Thomas Robertson and Yusef Gueye. Goalkeeper Ryan Gross also made four key saves. Defensively, Seton Hall was solid and well-organized, with goalkeeper Soren Jensen leading the way. His communication and control kept the Pirates in command, and they were rarely threatened in the first half, though Lehigh managed to control the ball for much of it.

As the second half began, Seton Hall continued their aggressive offensive approach, this time with Hugo GerBore, Aiden Tisony, and Sam Bjork leading the way. It paid off eight minutes into the half when Til Kauschke found Hugo GerBore for the Pirates' first goal. After taking a 1-0 lead, the Pirates never looked back. Lehigh tried to shift the momentum, maintaining more possession after the goal, but the Pirates’ defense held strong, blocking two shot attempts and intercepting three corners.

Seton Hall sealed the game when Axel Berglund connected with Rikard Cederberg with under twenty minutes to play, making it 2-0. To close out the match, Aiden Tisony and Nico Rubio skillfully played keep-away from Lehigh, running down the clock. The Pirates secured an impressive 2-0 victory over the Mountain Hawks.

This win was a strong showing of the Pirates' resilience early in the season. It was also a must-win game for No. 15 Seton Hall as they prepare for their second Big East Conference match, traveling to Storrs, Conn., to face the UConn Huskies, who are looking to bounce back after a scoreless draw with Fairfield University. The two East Coast schools will meet on Saturday, the 28th.

Nick Powell can be reached at nickolas.powell@student.shu.edu. 

Posted in: sports,