Seton Hall Takes Down FDU in Season Opener

Published: Monday, August 17, 2026

by Blair Yusko

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall Pirates (1-0-0) took down the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (0-1-0) 2-1 in a rain-soaked season opener on Sunday night at Owen T. Carroll Field.  

It didn’t take long for the Pirates to find the back of the net for the first time in 2026, as UConn transfer, Kileigh Gorman made her presence known early on.  

The junior midfielder scored in the sixth minute on a goal that was assisted by Gianna Angelillo and Cassidy Brown. After this fast start, play began to even out between both teams before FDU was able to answer. 

In the 20th minute Ana Salas got one past Kate Kleinsmith to even the score at one apiece. The goal was assisted by Izarbe Grao. 

Both teams continued to trade chances as the final 15 minutes of the first half ticked off the clock. The second half opened evenly between the two squads until the Pirates started to gain momentum.  

In the 62nd minute, Seton Hall began applying pressure with two shots on net eleven seconds apart. A foul in the 64th minute by FDU’s Elisa Garcia opened the door for a penalty kick opportunity for the Pirates. 

Angelillo picked up her third point of the night and first goal by sliding one past Rosemaire Leblanc to give Seton Hall a 2-1 lead. 

Play continued with the Knights trying to apply pressure on a Seton Hall defense that was standing firm. This contest began to turn physical in the final 20 minutes as both teams battled in a close contest. 

The game itself featured seven yellow cards, but four of those came in the final 20 minutes of action. Three were committed by the Knights with the Pirates only tallying one yellow card down the stretch.  

As the rain intensified during the night, the Pirates remained stout defensively down the stretch limiting FDU’s chances, where they ultimately walked away with the 2-1 victory to open the 2026 campaign.  

Seton Hall finished the night by outshooting FDU 10-6 while Kleinsmith finished with two saves.  

For FDU, they will be back on the road for a showdown against Maryland in College Park on Thursday. As for the Pirates, non-conference play will continue on Sunday when they welcome Drexel to South Orange. 

You can listen to Sunday’s game against Drexel at 6:00 p.m. on wsou.net where Jacob Glick and Blair Yusko will have the call. 

Blair Yusko can be reached at blair.yusko@student.shu.edu 

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