Following a tough loss against Stony Brook, the Pirates faced Butler on Saturday. The Hall looked to extend its undefeated record at home, while also finding their second BIG EAST victory.
The Pirates found some offensive momentum early in the game; however, a clean shot on goal by Jared Smith right before the three-minute mark was saved by Butler goalkeeper Caleb Norris. The offense resurged at 28 minutes, with two quick shots in succession from freshman Til Kauschke and sophomore Jon Vignir Pétursson. Kauschke continued the attack with the Pirate’s fourth shot at the 30-minute mark.
Junior Agustin Resch extended the Pirates’ shooting lead to 5-1, but neither team had yet to find the netting in the latter portion of the first half. Following a missed penalty, Pétursson drew first blood with a goal at 41 minutes. Kauschke recorded his third and the Pirate’s eighth shot attempt overall at 43 minutes, before time expired in the first half.
Resch kicked off the Pirate offense in the second with a shot at 46 minutes, followed by a corner kick opportunity. Kauschke continued the onslaught with a shot on goal denied by Norris, leading into another corner kick at 52 minutes. Kauschke closed out his aggressive offensive showing with his final shot of the game right before the two-thirds mark.
At 66 minutes, senior Rikard Cederberg got past Norris for the second goal of the Pirate campaign, increasing the Pirates’ lead to two.
Graduate student Stan De Vries fired at the Butler netting at 75 minutes, just right of the goal. The Bulldogs bared their fangs at 77 minutes with a goal from Butler junior Josemir Gomez. The Pirates took their 14th and final shot of the game, with an attempt on goal from junior Nico Rubio at 83 minutes. The Hall staved off the Butler offense for the remainder of the game, remaining undefeated at Carroll field and securing a clean conference win.
In conference play, the Pirates now stand at 2-1-1, with an overall record of 9-2-1. They’re on a two-game winning streak in BIG EAST play, after defeating both Butler and Marquette on their home soil.
Now boasting a commanding presence in both division and non-division play, the Pirates (11th) hope to find a groove against No. 19 Georgetown in yet another Big East rumble on Saturday Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. at Georgetown’s Shaw Field in Washington, D.C. The Hall has the opportunity to break 10 wins overall and find its third conference victory.
Christian Hui is a writer for The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at christian.hui@student.shu.edu.
