Army Drops Decision Against #19 Seton Hall in OT, 3-2

Tuesday, September 14

6 P.M.

Army West Point

3-2-1, 0-0-0

Seton Hall

4-0-2, 0-0-0

Seton Hall

Army West Point

Photo by: Army Athletics

Army Drops Decision Against #19 Seton Hall in OT, 3-2

September 14, 2021 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

By: Phil Tor

GAME 6
SCORE	Army West Point Black Knights - 2 #19 Seton Hall Pirates - 3
SCORERS	Army West Point - Brandon Bryant 32', John Poncy 86' Seton Hall Pirates - Raz Amir 22', Paavo Riihjarvi 74', Johannes Pex 96'
RECORDS	Army (3-2-1) #19 Seton Hall (4-0-2)
LOCATION	Malek Stadium at Clinton Field - West Point, N.Y.

WEST POINT, N.Y. - In its last test before league play the Army West Point men's soccer team gave the 19th ranked Seton Hall Pirates all they could handle, forcing an overtime before eventually dropping the result after a golden goal in overtime.

The Black Knights showed incredible poise and fight down the stretch yet again, scoring another final-five minute goal to take the Pirates to extra time.

How it Happened
The Black Knights and Pirates each made an effort to strike early on in the contest, with both squads making runs from end-to-end in the first five minutes of play. Seton Hall recorded the first two shots of the game, but Oscar Pereira was quick to answer putting the first shot on goal, forcing the opposing keeper to make a save just seven minutes into the game.

The chances did not stop there, as both teams kept applying pressure on the offensive end to create chances throughout regulation. Seton Hall broke the scoreless tie in the 22nd minute of play to take the 1-0 advantage.

The lead would only last for about 10 minutes, as Brandon Bryant stepped up and kicked a thunderbolt past the Pirate keeper, picking a spot in the top left corner to tie the score at 1-1. The score would remain deadlocked at 1-1 going into the break.

Both team came out of the break energized and looking to attack, trading shots throughout the first 20 minutes of the second half. Nick Atkinson had the best opportunity for Army in the span, collecting a ball deep in the Pirate zone, turning and putting a great attempt on goal that was narrowly saved.

Seton Hall struck again in the 73rd minute off a set piece from a corner kick to take a 2-1 lead.

The Black Knights continued to fight down the stretch thanks to the effort of their captain, Jacob Suppiah who came up big time and time again, making two back-to-back saves in the 81st minute to give Army a chance. That chance turned into a John Poncy goal in the 85th minute off a corner kick from Jack Eaton and a tip pass from Luke Doyle.

This was the second time in the past seven days that Army has come back from a deficit in the final five minutes of play.

The Knights and Pirates ended regulation deadlocked and would take the 2-2 tie into overtime. The Pirates scored the golden goal in the 95th minute to steal the result from the Black Knights.

Coach's Corner
"What a fight tonight was. We kept pushing and unfortunately came out on the wrong end of the score line. We showed great resilience- twice coming back from a goal down - against a very good and experienced Seton Hall team.

What stands out for me tonight was our instant reaction after the final goal of the game. Immediately our players went and got to Jacob [Suppiah] and made sure he was okay. It was a living demonstration of the family motto and desire to be a great teammate that we have.

It's the close to the early season and we now turn our focus now to Colgate and the start of Patriot League play on Saturday night." - Army men's soccer head coach, Brian Plotkin

Inside the Box Score

Senior captain, Jacob Suppiah, put together another strong effort between the pipes, tying a career high with seven saves.
Brandon Bryant now ranks second on the team with three goals on the year.
John Poncy has scored in back-to-back contests.
Luke Doyle recorded an assist from the backline for his first point of the season.
Doyle, Jack Eaton and D'Anthony Brown all went the distance, playing 96 minutes.

Up Next
Army will return to action this Saturday, September 18th when it hosts the Colgate Raiders for it's Patriot League opener. The game will take place at Malek Stadium and on Clinton Field at 7 PM.

FOLLOW ALONG
For complete coverage of Army West Point men's soccer, follow the Black Knights on Twitter and Instagram at @ArmyWP_MSoccer and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.