Late efforts not enough as No. 18 men’s soccer draws Seton Hall 0–0

For nearly 85 minutes on Tuesday night, No. 18 men’s soccer searched for a breakthrough against Seton Hall.

Then, sophomore midfielder Benjamin Manfroy came inches away from finding one.

With Princeton pushing numbers forward late, the ball fell to Manfroy just outside the box. He struck a left-footed volley toward the goal, only to see it come off the crossbar.

It was the closest either side came to scoring as Princeton (5–1–2 overall, 0–0–0 Ivy League) settled for a 0–0 draw against Seton Hall (3–2–3, 1–0–0 Big East) at Roberts Stadium.

Princeton controlled much of the attacking play, outshooting the Pirates 22–7 and producing 15 attempts in the second half alone. The Tigers put seven shots on target compared to Seton Hall’s six.

Early, however, the Pirates created more chances.

Seton Hall tested senior goalkeeper Andrew Samuels twice within the opening 13 minutes. Defender Charlie Herley forced Samuels into a low save in the 11th minute before midfielder Nico Rubio sent another attempt directly at him less than two minutes later.

On the other end, Manfroy and senior forward Bardia Hormozi generated several early attempts but could not trouble Seton Hall goalkeeper Devin Armstrong.

Princeton began to find its rhythm after making a group of substitutions around the half-hour mark.

Junior midfielder Cyrus Klinenberg provided the Tigers’ first shot on target in the 44th minute, forcing Armstrong into a save. Less than 90 seconds later, Klinenberg tested him again, but Armstrong denied the attempt to send the teams into halftime scoreless.

The Tigers carried that momentum into the second half.

Sophomore defender Frederik Sadjak forced Armstrong into another save less than three minutes after the restart. Junior forward Roka Tsunehara followed with an attempt that led to Princeton’s first corner of the night.

Princeton continued to press as the half unfolded.

Still, Seton Hall remained dangerous.

Joaquin Brizuela forced Samuels into another save in the 78th minute, beginning a stretch in which the Pirates earned three corner kicks over roughly six minutes. Substitute Lukas Syah then tested Samuels again in the 84th.

Samuels stopped both attempts, keeping Princeton level. From there, Princeton threw nearly everything forward.

Sophomore midfielder Tyler Vilet sent a shot just wide in the 82nd minute. Three minutes later, first-year forward Julien Lacher put an effort on frame, but Armstrong was there again.

Then came Manfroy’s chance.

After Princeton moved quickly forward in transition, the ball bounced out to Manfroy near the edge of the penalty area. With time running out, he did not hesitate.

“From the beginning of the play, the team did a great job moving forward in transition and putting the ball in a dangerous area,” Manfroy wrote to The Daily Princetonian. “When it’s late in the game and we’re pushing for a goal, we have to take any opportunity to shoot.”

Manfroy caught the ball cleanly with his left foot, sending it toward the top of the goal.

“When the ball popped out to me on the edge of the box, I immediately knew I wanted to hit it,” Manfroy said. “I was able to get a quick left-footed volley off that unfortunately hit the crossbar, but I think it’s just a matter of time before those start going in for us.”

The Tigers hardly slowed down.

Just seconds after Manfroy hit the woodwork, first-year forward Jonah Mwilambwe fired over the crossbar. Tsunehara added one final shot on target in the 90th minute, but Armstrong again collected it. 

For Manfroy, Princeton’s inability to score was less a sign of a larger problem than one of those nights when chances simply refused to fall.

“To begin, credit to the Seton Hall goalie who had a great game,” Manfroy said. “Regarding us, sometimes the night just goes that way. We created really good chances and got in very dangerous positions throughout the match, but sometimes the ball just can’t seem to go in and we have to roll with it.”

Even after being held scoreless for the first time this season, Manfroy remained confident in the Tigers’ attack.

“Of course there are plays we wish we could have another shot at, but the team has an abundance of players with great finishing quality,” Manfroy said, “and I have no worries about finding the back of the net moving forward.”

The draw moves Princeton to 5–1–2 as it turns its attention toward conference play.

The Tigers will travel to Hanover, N.H. on Saturday to open their 2026 Ivy League campaign against Dartmouth. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Burnham Field.

Matthew Yi is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’

Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.