With just 10 seconds left on the clock in another double over-time game, the Seton Hall men's soccer team was headed for a third straight draw, barring some type of heroic intervention.
When that hero delivered a goal with just seven seconds remaining, the crowd didn't truly know who to applaud. After the initial eruption, the name Samuel Geiler circulated through those in the bleachers as if it were some type of rumor.
Geiler, the freshman from Offenberg, Germany, was that delivering hero.
"No one really knows about him," said senior captain George Velasquez of Geiler. "He's got to light up."
The freshman has netted four goals in just four games with the Pirates, including a two-goal game against Drexel on Sept. 1.
Geiler's ball-handling and footwork has impressed his coaches and fellow players and has stymied opposing defenses.
"He's a player that can make things happen for us," head coach Gerson Echeverry said. "Coming into this new environment, I think he's adjusted pretty decently."
This is Geiler's first season not only in the NCAA, but also in the United States.
The 19-year-old freshman enjoyed some successes overseas be- fore coming to the Hall, but he sees plenty of differences between football in Germany and soccer in America.
"It's not easy, it's different in Germany," Geiler said. "Here it's much more athletic and you have to use your body more, but I guess in Germany most of the players are a little bit smarter."
Geiler said the personal relationships he's developed with his teammates eased his transition onto the club, specifically mentioning fellow countryman Julian Kennedy for the hospitality.
"Me and Julian, we've been working very well here," Geiler said. "And my teammates, I love them. They help me on the pitch and off the pitch, and I think we're already all friends."
Geiler attributes some of the team's success to the close personal friendships he and his teammates share.
You can catch Geiler and the rest of the men's soccer team back at Owen T. Carroll Field on Sept. 21 in an afternoon tilt with Bucknell.
Gerard Gilberto can be reached at gerard.gilberto@student.shu.edu.
