Pirates Set To Battle Penn in City of Brotherly Love

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – After drawing at home for the second time this season, the Seton Hall men's soccer team (2-1-2) will travel to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to take on the Penn Quakers (1-1-0) on Saturday, September 12.

Match time is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

LAST TIME OUT

• After beating Rutgers in the Garden State Derby, the Seton Hall men's soccer team returned home to face the Lehigh Mountain Hawks on Tuesday.
• In the opening half, the Pirates exhibited a significant level of control over the pace of play. Despite not closing out any of their chances, The Hall headed to the break with a four-shot advantage over the Mountain Hawks. That on-ball dominance continued into the second half, with Seton Hall once again outshooting their opposition by five shots. However, the Pirates could never find that final touch, resulting in a 0-0 draw between the two programs.

SCOUTING PENN

• Penn comes into the match with a 1-1 record after falling to Pitt, 1-0, on Monday.
• Coming into the game, Penn brings an experienced lineup at every level. Junior forward Marco Bottene leads the team with two goals, while senior defender Joaquin Niehenke has notched two assists. Aside from them, Penn also has four All-Ivy League players returning from last year's team: Connor Dawson, Romeo Dahlen, Phillip Falcon III and Jack-Ryan Jeremiah.
• In net for the Quakers is Phillip Falcon III. Falcon III, who did not start in net in last year's clash, has a 1.08 GAA with eight saves on 18 shots faced this season.

SERIES HISTORY

• The Pirates are 12-3-3 all-time against the Quakers, with the first match between the two programs coming in 1990.
• The two sides met last season on Friday, September 5, at Owen T. Carroll Field. The two sides traded blows in a physical 0-0 draw.

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Pirates Stumble Late, Fall to Penn 2-1​

Box

PHILADELPHIA, P.A. — The Seton Hall men's soccer team (2-2-2) dropped its second road game of the season to the Penn Quakers (2-1-0), 2-1, after allowing two late second-half goals.

Seton Hall got on the board first off a beautiful combination play that led to forward Tim Valentine's first collegiate goal. The Pirates held the lead for over 60 minutes before Marco Bottene answered for the Quakers, notching a brace in under five minutes to put The Hall down 2-1. The team had one final chance in the dying minutes, but could not convert and fell 2-1.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Out of the gates, Seton Hall was on the back foot. Penn dominated possession in the opening minutes, including launching a slew of set pieces that the Pirates' defense quelled. Slowly, the Pirates endured the surge for a while before they finally found their own chances. While Joaquin Brizuela's 14th-minute breakaway attempt fell short, it set an idea in motion for The Hall. Just a few moments later, after shuttling the ball around the midfield, the team passed the ball up the right flank to Nico Rubio. The graduate student midfielder pushed to the endline before rocketing a cross into the attacking box. Rubio's rocket found the head of freshman Tim Valentine, who rifled the ball to the far post and into the net, giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead and the forward his first career goal. Seton Hall stayed on the attack, outshooting the Quakers 6-to-4 by the end of the half.

The second half started like the first, with Penn pressuring the Seton Hall back line. After the Pirates' Charlie Herley received a yellow card in the 52nd minute, the Quakers took advantage with a strong shot in the box that led to one of the Quakers' seven corner kicks of the night. Seton Hall struggled to connect in the midfield and develop chances as Penn continued to search for an equalizer. Unfortunately for The Hall, the Quakers would find more than an equalizer. In the span of three minutes, the Quakers' Marco Bottene scored twice to put Seton Hall down 2-1 with less than 15 minutes remaining. In need of an equalizer, The Hall began searching high and low for any chance to salvage a result. The team had one last opportunity after Hannes Ottosson found Giacomo Graziani on a free kick, but the freshman knocked it over the net to end the match 2-1 in favor of the home team.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Valentine logged his first career goal.
• Rubio recorded his team-leading third assist.
• Seton Hall were outshot by Penn 14-to-7.
  • The Pirates logged only one shot in the second half.
• The Hall faced a 7-to-1 disadvantage on corner kickers.

NEWS & NOTES

• With the loss, Seton Hall moves to 2-2-2 and 12-4-3 all-time against the Quakers.

UP NEXT
The Pirates will stay on the road to open BIG EAST play next Friday, September 18 against the UConn Huskies. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. with the match being broadcast on ESPN+.