Men’s soccer faced off once again against St. John’s at Benson Stadium in Queens on Saturday, Nov. 9 in the Big East Championship Quarterfinals. Despite their best efforts, the Pirates dropped a second game to the Red Storm 0-2, ending their tournament run.
The beginning of the game felt like déjà vu, as the Pirates and the Red Storm got physical only minutes after kickoff. St. John’s went on the offensive early, with three shots in the 14th minute from senior Thomas Lamaille and sophomores Camron Boumsong and Tyler Morck, making Pirate goalie Matias Molina work.
The onslaught continued, ending a huge goal from junior Julian Jakopovic off a touch from junior Miguel Diaz that got past Molina for the first point of the match. Seton Hall’s midfielder Til Kauschke managed a shot in the 25th minute, the only one in the first period, and it was blocked by St. John’s defense. The Pirate defense ramped up in the latter half of the first period, preventing another St. John’s shot attempt from happening before halftime.
Second-period play kicked off with a shot off-target from Diaz on the upper goal frame. The Pirates would reclaim possession and get an open look on the opposing netting, with a close call from junior Hugo Gerbore at 55 minutes that was denied by St. John’s keeper Alec McLachlan.
Midfielder Jon Vignir Pétursson found another opening but the Pirates could not make it past McLachlan once again. The Pirates would hold possession for the majority of the rest of the half and outshoot St. John’s 7-5 in the period.
Multiple goal opportunities from junior Agustin Resch and graduate student Jack Koussudji did not connect before the final whistle. St. John’s would put the game out of reach at 83 minutes with a goal from Lamaille assisted by Nigel Griffith following an offensive assault on Molina. A final shot from Vignir Pétursson in the closing moments of the game did not grace the back netting, leaving the score 0-2 in favor of the Red Storm.
The loss against St. John’s eliminates Seton Hall from the Big East Championship, despite a strong regular season showing both within and outside the conference. Seton Hall’s record sits at 11-6-1 as their 2024 season comes to a close.
Christian Hui is a writer for The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at christian.hui@student.shu.edu.
