Pirates Stumble Late, Fall to Penn 2-1

Saturday, September 12

Philadelphia, Pa.

6 PM

Seton Hall University

2-2-2, 0-0-0

Penn

2-1-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Seton Hall	1	0	1
Penn	0	2	2

9/12/2026 11:25:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA, P.A. — The Seton Hall men's soccer team (2-2-2) dropped its second road game of the season to the Penn Quakers (2-1-0), 2-1, after allowing two late second-half goals.

Seton Hall got on the board first off a beautiful combination play that led to forward Tim Valentine's first collegiate goal. The Pirates held the lead for over 60 minutes before Marco Bottene answered for the Quakers, notching a brace in under five minutes to put The Hall down 2-1. The team had one final chance in the dying minutes, but could not convert and fell 2-1.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Out of the gates, Seton Hall was on the back foot. Penn dominated possession in the opening minutes, including launching a slew of set pieces that the Pirates' defense quelled. Slowly, the Pirates endured the surge for a while before they finally found their own chances. While Joaquin Brizuela's 14th-minute breakaway attempt fell short, it set an idea in motion for The Hall. Just a few moments later, after shuttling the ball around the midfield, the team passed the ball up the right flank to Nico Rubio. The graduate student midfielder pushed to the endline before rocketing a cross into the attacking box. Rubio's rocket found the head of freshman Tim Valentine, who rifled the ball to the far post and into the net, giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead and the forward his first career goal. Seton Hall stayed on the attack, outshooting the Quakers 6-to-4 by the end of the half.

The second half started like the first, with Penn pressuring the Seton Hall back line. After the Pirates' Charlie Herley received a yellow card in the 52nd minute, the Quakers took advantage with a strong shot in the box that led to one of the Quakers' seven corner kicks of the night. Seton Hall struggled to connect in the midfield and develop chances as Penn continued to search for an equalizer. Unfortunately for The Hall, the Quakers would find more than an equalizer. In the span of three minutes, the Quakers' Marco Bottene scored twice to put Seton Hall down 2-1 with less than 15 minutes remaining. In need of an equalizer, The Hall began searching high and low for any chance to salvage a result. The team had one last opportunity after Hannes Ottosson found Giacomo Graziani on a free kick, but the freshman knocked it over the net to end the match 2-1 in favor of the home team.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Valentine logged his first career goal.
Rubio recorded his team-leading third assist.
Seton Hall were outshot by Penn 14-to-7.
- The Pirates logged only one shot in the second half.
The Hall faced a 7-to-1 disadvantage on corner kickers.

NEWS & NOTES

With the loss, Seton Hall moves to 2-2-2 and 12-4-3 all-time against the Quakers.

UP NEXT
The Pirates will stay on the road to open BIG EAST play next Friday, September 18 against the UConn Huskies. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. with the match being broadcast on ESPN+.