Seton Hall Stuns Monmouth with 3-1 Comeback Victory in Season Opener

Published: Thursday, August 14, 2025

by Christian Oliveri

The Seton Hall Pirates (1-0-0) used a dominant second half to defeat the Monmouth Hawks (0-1-0) in their season opener on Thursday. While the Pirates seemed outmatched in the first half, their performance after the break was full of energy, providing them with momentum to make a comeback.

Seton Hall struggled in the first half to keep the ball on Monmouth’s end of the field, attempting only three shots on goal and allowing Monmouth to control the pace of the game. Monmouth’s forwards, Summer Reimet, Emily De Almeida, and Ashley Larvich, continued to knock at the door early on, totaling six shots on goal in just thirty minutes of play.

The first shot to find the back of the net came at the 35 minute mark by Emily De Almeida, assisted by Lindsey Husic. Monmouth then had the upper hand, causing Seton Hall to foul them seven times. The Hawks won most of the matchups on the defensive end.

Despite their struggles heading into the half, Seton Hall showed signs of life despite Monmouth’s early attacks and controlled much of the match the rest of the way.

The script began to flip as newcomer from Louisville University Gianna Angelillo picked up her first goal of the season, tying the game up 1-1.

However, Angelillo’s dominance did not stop there, as Monmouth goalkeeper Tallulah Miller dove out of the box in an attempt to stop the Pirates’ breakaway. Her miss allowed the Seton Hall junior to sink her second goal of the year, already doubling her season total of goals last season. It was at this point that the Pirates jumped out to a 2-1 lead.

Throughout the match, and especially the second half, defenders Olivia Beauvois, Abby Udowenko, and Shea Boyle were able to win their battles on the defensive end. Additionally, goalkeeper Avery Strohecker’s dominant second-half performance all were large factors in fueling the Pirates’ comeback.

Their dominant defensive performance led to Nina Davis’s goal, which provided Seton Hall with a cushion at the 75th minute.

From this point on, the Pirates’ were able to lock up the Monmouth offense, as the Hawks only fired three more shots until the end of the match.

Seton Hall held onto their 3-1 lead, as this would prove to be the final score.

After the thrilling comeback victory to kick off the season, the Pirates will look to remain undefeated as they welcome the Iona Gaels to Owen T. Carroll Field on Thursday, August 21 at 5:00 P.M. for their next match.

Christian Olivieri can be reached at christian.oliveri@student.shu.edu

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