The Sacred Heart University men’s soccer team played to a 2-2 draw against Seton Hall on Sep. 11 at Carroll Field in South Orange, New Jersey. The match featured four second-half goals and ten cards, highlighting a competitive non-conference contest between the two “SHU” programs.
The result leaves Sacred Heart with a record of 1-2-2 and Seton Hall at 1-1-3. The game was marked by strong performances from Sam McCann, who scored one goal, and Javier Lopez Cayuela, who also found the net for his first goal of the season. Eli Stein contributed an assist, while Nacho Rullan set up the equalizing goal late in the match.
After a scoreless first half, Seton Hall’s Aidan Tisony opened the scoring in the 60th minute. Sacred Heart responded in the 76th minute when Stein delivered a cross that McCann converted to tie the game at 1-1. Shortly after, Sacred Heart goalkeeper Luca Marinelli received a red card, forcing his team to play with ten men for the remainder of the match. Despite this setback and conceding another goal from Seton Hall’s Hugo Gerbore on a free kick, Sacred Heart managed to level again through Lopez Cayuela after an assist from Rullan in the 80th minute.
The closing minutes saw further drama as McCann had another shot blocked by Seton Hall’s defense in the 86th minute. In total, six yellow cards were issued before Sacred Heart pressed forward with a late throw-in that was ultimately cleared by Seton Hall as time expired.
Giancarlo Laste Pretto made his debut appearance for Sacred Heart late in the second half. Both Lopez Cayuela and McCann recorded their first goals of the season during this match.
Sacred Heart is scheduled to return to action on Sunday, September 14 at St. John’s for another non-conference matchup.
