WEST ORANGE, NJ — The Seton Hall Prep soccer team went 2-0 last week to improve to 6-1 on the season.
On Tuesday, Sept. 20, the Pirates traveled to Cedar Grove High School to take on the Panthers. The Pirates won, 6-0. In the first half, junior Eddie Krupski opened the scoring on assists by seniors Luca Chirichiello and Karan Chauhan. That was followed by senior Joaquin Niehenke on an assist by senior Julien Siljanovski.
In the second half, the Pirates scored four goals. They were Krupski from Chauhan and senior Marcus Brozon, junior Whye Li Ong from junior Maxwell Williams, sophomore Lucas Mendes unassisted, and sophomore Danel Ariza from Siljanovski. Senior Aidan Donovan had one save, while junior Raymond Bonanno did not record a save.
On Friday night, Sept. 23, the Pirates traveled to Livingston High School to take on the Lancers. With two second-half goals, Seton Hall recorded its fifth clean sheet with a 2-0 victory.
With 30:47 left Niehenke drilled a 30-yarder into the upper right corner to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. A little over 11 minutes later, Krupski took control of the ball in the box and scored to make the score 2-0. Donovan recorded three saves.
Following the game, Donovan said, “It helps that we have built such great camaraderie in practice, with my defenders being able to trust me and I am able to trust them. We have each other’s back every game, all the time.”
Niehenke added, “When I got the ball in space with time, I knew I had to rip the shot.”
Scoring from distance has suddenly become a natural part of Niehenke’s game. “I am blessed to say that this is a normal occurrence this season, but it pays off when you do it every day during practice,” Niehenke said.
SHP head coach Marty Berman commented after the match, “Hopefully, this win keeps our momentum going. We are playing well, and I want to keep this going. Tonight starts off a string of really difficult Super Essex Conference–American Division games with West Orange, Millburn, East Side, and Montclair.”
The Pirates are ranked in the following polls:
- The Star-Ledger: No. 1 in New Jersey, No. 1 in Essex County, No. 1 in nonpublic schools.
- Prep Soccer: No. 5 in the National Top 50.
- United Soccer Coaches Association: No. 2 in Region 3, No. 9 in the National Top 25.
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