EASTON, Pa. – Lafayette men's soccer began its 2025 campaign at Seton Hall on Thursday night, but fell short in a 2-0 result at Owen T. Carroll Field.
Thursday's contest was a physical battle for the full 90 minutes. The hosts held a majority of the possession in the early going, as the Leopards sat deep and looked to attack on the counter. Seton Hall's Nico Rubio had a pair of half chances around the 15
th minute, but was unable to trouble senior goalkeeper
Eric Axtman. Agustin Resch found himself further up the pitch in the 20
th minute and released a powerful shot, but a Leopard defender made a crucial block to keep the game 0-0.
The Pirates won a string of cornerkicks after spells of possession before they broke the deadlock in the 22
nd minute. Seton Hall whipped its third-consecutive corner into the penalty area and Konstantin Donalies was the first to react. The defender just managed to beat his man to the ball, but his shot rifled off the woodwork. A scrum in the box followed afterwards and a Leopard ended up committing a handball. Til Kauschke stepped up to the spot and buried his penalty to Axtman's left.
Rubio had a chance to make it 2-0 in the 27
th minute, after cutting inside and beating his man. The midfielders strike posed no threat to Axtman who collected comfortably. Moments later the Leopards broke in transition and the ball found junior midfielder
Samir Dishnica. The Cheshire, Conn. native slipped sophomore
Cade Maglione in behind the Pirates' backline, but Lafayette couldn't get on the end of his ball across the box.
Seton Hall forced three saves out of Axtman in the first half and the hosts led 1-0 at the break.
The Maroon and White responded well to start the second half. In the 49
th minute, freshman
Oliver Gordon was driving with the ball up field before finding Dishnica's feet. The midfielder played a pass out wide to junior
Max Fujimori who saw freshman
Nicolas Papadopoulos striding into the box. The ball found the forward, but his snap shot ricocheted off the post and Seton Hall cleared its lines.
Lafayette continued to grow into the game, but the Pirates' quality in possession forced the Leopards to sit deep in their own territory. Papadopoulos and Dishnica combined for a half chance in the 67
th minute, but Dishnica blasted his attempt into the side netting of Matias Molina's goal.
Seton Hall tallied its second of the evening in the 89
th minute. Thomas Sellwood picked up the ball on the right flank before squaring up his defender. He then found the feet of Kauschke who danced around the penalty area before the ball fell to Mikkel Lejbowicz. The striker was first to pounce and he tucked the ball calmly past an oncoming Axtman.
At fulltime, Seton Hall emerged with its first win of the season.
The Maroon and White are back in action at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, as they host Le Moyne in their home opener.
To keep up with the Lafayette men's soccer team, follow its social media pages.
X/@Lafayette_MSOC | Instagram/@lafayette_msoc | Facebook/GoLeopards
