Pirates rally to topple Tigers

Despite drawing first blood, the men's soccer team was unable to overcome a spirited second-half comeback by Seton Hall, conceding three goals as the Tigers were downed, 3-1.

Princeton (3-6-1 overall, 0-2-0 Ivy League) returned to the field Tuesday afternoon after an unscheduled break with a trip to face the 20th-ranked Pirates (10-2-2). Coming off a two-match losing streak, the Tigers were eager to leave their misfortunes with last week's rain and seemed on track to do just that when senior midfielder Ben Young found the back of the net two minutes shy of halftime.

Senior forward Darren Spicer confounded Seton Hall's defenses and set up the ball for Young behind the Pirates' line. Unmarked, Young took the opportunity from 15 yards out and was rewarded as his shot flew past the Seton Hall keeper.

The goal broke a long deadlock between the two teams and ended a two-match scoring drought for Princeton. The Pirates, however, responded in kind and equalized in the 57th minute. Eliseo Giusfredi sent off a free kick from 23 yards out that arched over the Princeton wall and into the upper-right corner of the net.

"We didn't respond well after [that goal]," head coach Jim Barlow said. "We struggled after they scored their first goal."

The goal did indeed seem to revitalize Seton Hall. They would go on to score twice more, first at 79 minutes and then again on another Giusfredi goal six minutes later to definitively end the Tigers' hopes of a comeback.

Though he characterized Princeton's third straight defeat as "frustrating," Barlow highlighted some of the positive aspects of the game. The Tigers' defense was able to shut down the Pirates' offense during the first half, and the entire Princeton team managed a consistently high level of play during that period. Seton Hall was the highest-scoring team that the Tigers have faced so far this season.

Little offense early

Nevertheless, the two teams were evenly matched at the onset. The Pirates got off to a shaky start, missing an early opportunity to score when their penalty shot went wide 25 minutes into the first half. They had five scoring attempts to the Tigers' four.

Seton Hall found its form soon after the beginning of the second half, though, and did not let up, surprising Princeton with the equalizer.

Though the Tigers pressed hard to regain the advantage, the Pirates dominated offensive play, and Christos Zisimatos' unassisted drive from 30 yards away gave them a lead they would not squander.

The coffin was nailed firmly shut with five minutes of regulation time remaining when Giusfredi scored off Sacha Kljestan's back-heeled pass. Princeton senior keeper Bobby Guelich, who pulled off a superhuman feat against Dartmouth two weeks ago, made five additional saves against the Pirates to keep the game closer than it could have been. Seton Hall outshot the Tigers, 17-6, rocketing eight balls on target.

The unexpected rain break did allow for the return of starting senior forward Adrian Melville, who took two of Princeton's six shots, and starting sophomore defender Robbie Morgenroth. Both of the players had been absent against Dartmouth and Brown due to injury.

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With the win, Seton Hall extended its winning streak to six matches. The Tigers will now resume league play against Harvard (4-6-0, 0-3-0) on Friday before playing Sunday's rescheduled match against Northwestern.