Pirates Drop Non-Conference Finale 5-2 to Princeton

Published: Wednesday, October 30, 2024

by Victor Gonzalez

PRINCETON, N.J. – The Seton Hall Pirates (10-5-1) entered the week on a high after securing a spot in the Big East Championship Playoffs, following their 1-0 victory over Xavier. On Tuesday night, they failed to extend that momentum, as they fell to the Princeton Tigers (9-5) by a final score of 5-2. The Pirates finish conference play with a record of 7-2.

The match began with the Pirates and Tigers locked in a back-and-forth midfield battle for the first ten minutes. However, the Tigers broke through in the 14th minute, capitalizing on a corner kick that found defender Issa Mudashiru in the box. Mudashiru then beat Pirates goalkeeper Soren Jensen, giving Princeton an early 1-0 lead.

Just minutes later, in the 19th, Princeton's Liam Beckwith seized an opportunity with Pirates' goalkeeper Soren Jensen off his line. Beckwith sent a long midfield pass to Harry Roberts, who headed it into the net, extending Princeton's lead to 2-0.

Both teams continued with strong back-and-forth play until Princeton capitalized on a breakaway in the 30th minute, resulting in a goal from Daniel Ittycheria to make it 3-0. In the closing minutes of the first half, Princeton added another goal off a rebound from a corner kick, with Issa Mudashiru finding the net again to bring the score to 4-0 at halftime.

In the second half, Princeton extended their lead in the 64th minute when Gary Zheng connected with a cross into the box, bringing the score to 5-0. The Pirates responded in the 69th minute, finding their first goal of the match after Axel Berglund sent in a corner kick that reached Nicolas Baala King Obama, who headed the ball past goalkeeper William Watson for his first career goal, making it 5-1.

In the 85th minute, Baala King Obama scored his second goal of the match, completing his first career brace and bringing the score to 5-2. However, with little time remaining, the Pirates were unable to close the gap, ultimately losing to Princeton 5-2. The Pirates recorded a total of 16 shots, with 10 on target, during the match.

With the loss, the Pirates' record drops to 10-5-1 for the season, finishing non-conference play with a 7-2 record. They will return to Owen T. Carroll on Thursday for their final home game of the season against BIG EAST opponent Villanova.

Victor Gonzalez can be reached at victor.gonzalez@student.shu.edu. 

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