Hall Wraps Up Home Stand Against DePaul on Saturday
10/18/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 18, 2013
SETTING THE STAGE
- Seton Hall will wrap up a four-match home stand when it hosts DePaul University on Saturday, Oct. 19, at Owen T. Carroll Field at 1 p.m.
- The Pirates are coming off an impressive 3-0 win over NJIT on Wednesday night and have alternated wins and losses of the last six contests. DePaul has dropped three-straight BIG EAST games, which came on the heels of a five-match unbeaten streak, including a 2-2 tie against St. John's.
- This will be just the fourth ever meeting between Seton Hall and DePaul and the first since 2011. It is DePaul's second trip to South Orange and first since 2008.
- With five conference games left the season Seton Hall sits just three points out of the sixth and final BIG EAST Tournament spot, currently occupied by Xavier which is 2-2 in conference play.
- Seton Hall is 4-2-1 in matches played at Owen T. Carroll Field this season and the Pirates are 2-1-0 in their current home stand.
SCOUTING THE BLUE DEMONS
The DePaul Blue Demons have lost three-straight conference games heading into Saturday afternoon's BIG EAST showdown with Seton Hall, most recently suffering a 1-0 setback in double overtime to Providence College. DePaul has scored 18 goals this season but in somewhat of an anomaly the Blue Demons have seven different players tied for the team lead with two goals. Senior Art Garza and junior Michael Stankiewicz are the point leaders with a pair of assist to go along with their two scores. Senior Eric Sorby has played every second in net for DePaul, posting three shutouts with a 1.37 goals against average, which ranks eighth in the league.
SERIES HISTORY VS. DEPAUL
Seton Hall and DePaul have matched up just four times since the Blue Demons joined the BIG EAST in 2005, but the Pirates have yet to record a victory against their conference rivals from the midwest. The first-ever meeting was a tie and DePaul has taken the last two contests, most recently a 2-1 win in Chicago back in 2011. This will be the Blue Demons' second-ever trip to South Orange.
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
Seton Hall's pair of freshmen originally hailing from Germany, midfielder Samuel Geiler and goalkeeper Julian Spindler, each played critical roles in the team's 3-0 win over NJIT on Oct. 16. Spindler made four stops in net to pick up his second shutout of the season and Geiler had a hand in all three goals, assisting the game-winner in the first half before scoring twice in the second period. Spindler has started 12 of 13 matches in net for Seton Hall while Geiler leads the team in goals (6) and total points (16).
TURN ON THE LIGHTS
The outcome of Seton Hall's games this season have varied greatly depending on what time of day they are played. The Pirates are currently 4-1-1 in contests with a nighttime kickoff and 1-5-1 in matches played during the afternoon.
LOOKING BETTER
With its three-goal output against NJIT, Seton Hall has already eclipsed it 2012 scoring total of 19 goals through just 13 this season. With 20 goals in 2013, the Pirates have recorded their highest scoring total since the team netted 24 strikes during the 2010 campaign.
NEED A FAST START
The Pirates have lost just once when scoring the first goal of a game, posting a 3-1-2 mark in those contests. However, Seton Hall has scored a majority of its goals in the second half, with 75 percent (15 out of 20) of the team's scores coming after the half. Success over the final five BIG EAST contests will likely depend on the Pirates' ability to generate offense early in games.
HELPING OTHERS
Freshman Samuel Geiler leads Seton Hall with six goals, but he has recently improved at setting up his teammates as well. Geiler ranks second on the team with four assists, all of which have come over the last five games for the Hall. He is averaging 0.8 assists per game over that stretch.
EXACTING REVENGE
Seton Hall avenged a first round loss in the BIG EAST Tournament last season by picking up a 2-1 win over the Villanova Wildcats on Oct. 12. Senior Max Garcia, who also scored against Villanova in the 2012 BIG EAST Tournament, headed in the game winner in the 83rd minute.
HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Junior Kai Greene headed home a game-winner 93 seconds into double overtime to lift Seton Hall to a 2-1 victory at Rider on Wednesday, Oct. 2. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for Seton Hall and the goal was the first of the season for Greene, and his first game winner since 2011.
