Velasquez on BIG EAST Honor Roll
10/8/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Velasquez receives the conference recognition for the first time in his career, after erupting for eight points on three goals and two assists as the Pirates picked up a pair of wins over BIG EAST foes last week.
After threatening to score for several weeks Velasquez finally broke through for his first goal of the season, tallying the game-winner in Seton Hall's 2-1 win over Providence College on Wednesday night.
With the game tied, 1-1, in the second half, sophomore midfielder Konrad Plewa (Maniowy, Poland) sliced a pass into the offensive zone to a charging Velasquez, who gained control behind the defense and chipped a shot over Providence goalkeeper Keasel Broome to record the game-winner, the first of his career.
The second half goal completed a three-point performance for the junior forward, who assisted classmate Christian Battistesa's (Bound Brook, N.J.) goal in the sixth minute of the game.
Velasquez was just getting warmed up as he went on to add five more points to his weekly total with a pair of goals and an assist in Seton Hall's 4-1 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday.
The first strike against the Panthers came just 4:05 into the action, with Velasquez firing a shot from 18-yards out past Pittsburgh's Lee Johnston and toward the far right post. It was the second time in as many games the Pirates set a new mark for the fastest goal of their 2012 season.
Just 15 minutes later Velasquez was on the receiving end of an excellent low cross from Battistesa. After working his way down the left side and past a pair of defenders, Battistesa carried the ball down the endline and made a sharp pass through the box to Velasquez, who was waiting at the far post for an easy redirect into the net.
The goal stood as the game-winner, the second in as many games for Velasquez, and also represented the first two-goal performance of his career. He made it a career-high five points later in the opening period, redirecting a cross from junior Chris Garcia (Rutherford, N.J.) with a header in the box that was cleaned up for a goal from junior Max Garcia (Jersey City, N.J.) in the 25th minute.
Velasquez entered the week with two career goals and an assist for five points in two and a half seasons at Seton Hall. He more than doubled that in just two games, helping Seton Hall pick up two crucial BIG EAST wins in the process.
The Pirates have already eclipsed their 2011 overall and BIG EAST win totals, with a 6-5 overall mark and a 2-1 record in conference play. It is also the first time this season Seton Hall moved above .500 overall, and the Pirates have won four of their last five matches.
Seton Hall will try to keep its winning ways going when it steps out of conference to face NJIT on Tuesday night in Newark, N.J., at 7 p.m. The Pirates return home for a crucial BIG EAST contest against No. 10 Notre Dame on Saturday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m.
