GREENSBURG, Pa. - Julian Marker's goal in the 63rd minute was all Seton Hill needed to score a 1-0 win over the Millersville Marauders, who have lost consecutive matches for the first since 2022. 

Wednesday's non-conference game was a rematch of the 2023 PSAC Semifinal, and the result was dramatically different as Millersville set a conference postseason record with six goals in the most recent meeting. But Seton Hill snapped an eight-match skid against the Marauders, picking up its first win in the series since 2014. After opening the season with a four-goal outburst at Salem, Millersville has gone without a goal in back-to-back matches for the first time since 2016. 

Seton Hill held a 12-8 advantage in shots. Only one of Millersville's attempts was placed on goal, and it was a slow start for the Marauders as they mustered just two shots in the first half. 

"It's simply the final execution," said Millersville head coach Steve Widdowson. "In both shutouts we have created chances, got into good situations and areas but have lacked the courage and execution to put the ball in the net. The quality of our decisions and technical execution has really let us down when in these critical moments."

After a sluggish start, Millersville created three chances in the first 20 minutes of the second period, but it wasn't until two minutes after Marker's game-winner that Millersville finally challenged Seton Hill keeper Aiden Hollander. In the final 15 minutes, the Marauders continued to press, leading to a wide shot from Roy Parkyn, a header from Jake Altimore off of a corner kick in the 84th minute, and in the final minute, Louis Wright ripped a shot that sailed high. 

Meanwhile, Seton Hill peppered Millersville keeper Jake Van Vorhees. He held up against four shots in the first 45 minutes, but the Seton Hill onslaught broke through in the 63rd. Nils Heinrich created the opportunity for Marker with a low blast on the right post. A sliding Van Vorhees made the save with his legs, but that created a hard rebound that Marker received at the top of the box. Uncovered, he had time to settle and take a shot into the opposite corner before Van Vorhees and the Millersville defense could recover. 

"Our defending wasn't efficient enough throughout the game," said Widdowson. "We created so much unnecessary hard work for ourselves and eventually it caught up with us."

While Millersville has thrived in the postseason in recent years, it is accustomed to early-season adversity. The 2019 club also started 1-2 before winning the PSAC Championship. 

"Every year we face adversity," said Widdowson. "It's what we learn from it that is important. Right now we have to decide individually and collectively if we are willing to battle and fight for 90 minutes because we were nowhere near competitive enough today. That is our first step. We need to be willing to outwork and out-battle our competition. The good thing is we are 100% in control of that aspect of the game, so it's all up to us." 

UP NEXT
Millersville is off for one week before starting PSAC East play at home against Shippensburg on Wednesday, Sept. 18.