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Preview: No. 10 Pirates Face Temple at Home to Kick Off 2021 Season

Date: August 25, 2021

By: Ryan Johnston

The Seton Hall men's soccer team huddle on the field before an important soccer game.

Seton Hall Athletics

This Thursday, the Seton Hall men’s soccer team will take on the Temple Owls in their season opener at Owen T. Carroll Field.

The Pirates come into the matchup as the 10th ranked team in the nation after an extraordinarily successful season last year. They won the Big East Tournament for the first time in 30 years by taking down the defending national champions in Georgetown and followed that up with a finish in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

The Seton Hall men's soccer team celebrate their Big East Tournament title victory by posing for a photo.

Seton Hall Athletics

Last season’s squad is essentially fully intact, with every starter returning for the upcoming season. Hopes are high coming into the season for the defending conference champions.

The Pirates made waves with their counterattacking play the past season, especially against higher ranked competition. In the Big East championship against Georgetown, the Pirates were on the back foot for most of the game, absorbing the pressure that the Hoyas were putting on for the majority of the contest. A beautiful CJ Tibbling goal on the counterattack put them ahead in that game.

However, the Owls are not on the same level as the Hoyas. Look for the Pirates to be on the front foot for most of the game, passing the ball around the midfield and defense before lofting a ball over the top. Coach Andreas Lindberg loves to have the Pirates play the ball out to the wings like JP Marin and Andrea Borg. He also loves to have Tibbling as a holding striker, have him pass the ball outside, and then have him make a through run towards the goal.

Seton Hall men's soccer coach, Andreas Lindberg, gives instruction during a practice.

Seton Hall Athletics

Tibbling and superstar defenseman Luca Dahn were both voted onto the preseason All-America teams, with Tibbling making the first and Dahn earning a spot on the second. Also look for Maurice Williams, Dahn’s partner on defense, to have an impact as an X-Factor after a sensational end to the season.

The Owls come into this matchup as the underdogs. They finished last season with five wins, four losses, and two draws before exiting the American Athletic Conference Tournament in the first round with a loss to Tulsa in penalties. The only ranked opponent that they played was UCF, who was ranked 14th at the time, and they lost by a score of one to zero.

Temple's Eoin Gawronski stands on the field during a NCAA soccer game.

Temple Athletics

Temple’s best player coming into this season is their goalie, redshirt freshman, Eoin Gawronski. Last season, which did not affect his eligibility due to the coronavirus, he finished second team All-Conference and made the conference’s All-Rookie Team. He was also voted in as the AAC’s Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year. Midfielders Jalen Campbell and Amir Cohen, along with forward Mike Eijgendaal, were joint leaders in points for the Owls last season and are all also returning this year.

This is the type of game the Pirates should win. However, they cannot be complacent with last year’s success, or the Owls may prove to be harder opponents than expected. Be sure to tune into 89.5 FM WSOU to hear all the action called by Christian Gardner and Jimmy Bliss.

Ryan Johnston can be reached at ryan.johnston@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Game Previews, Sports

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