Pirates Face Xavier and Creighton in Pivotal BIG EAST Week
10/22/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 22, 2013
SETTING THE STAGE
- Seton Hall will face a pair of challenging tests this week in Xavier and Creighton. The Pirates visit Xavier on Wednesday, Oct. 23, in Cincinnati, Ohio, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m., and then return home to host the Creighton Jays on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 1 p.m.
- This week will mark the first-ever meeting for Seton Hall with both Xavier and Creighton.
- The Pirates are coming off a four-match home stand in which they posted a 3-1 record. Additionally Seton Hall is 4-2 in its last six contests.
- With 23 goals this season the Pirates have already eclipsed last season's tally of 19 scores. It is the most goals for SHU in a season since it scored 24 in 2010.
SCOUTING THE MUSKETEERS
After getting off to a slow start in BIG EAST play Xavier enters Wednesday night's matchup with Seton Hall on a hot streak, winning its last three BIG EAST matchups, with two of those victories coming on the road. The Musketeers pulled a 2-1 upset over Georgetown at home last week, and are coming off a 2-1 double overtime victory at St. John's. Senior Matt Walker leads the team in points, scoring four goals to go along with a team-high seven assists. Redshirt junior Will Walker leads the Musketeers with five goals and ranks second with 12 points. Eric Osswald has started 11 matches in net and boasts a 0.83 goals against average and four shutouts.
SERIES HISTORY VS. XAVIER
Seton Hall will be matching up with Xavier for the first time in school history. This will be the second game this season between the Pirates and one of the new members of the BIG EAST Conference.
VELASQUEZ NAMED BIG EAST OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior forward George Velasquez was honored as the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 21, for his role in leading the Pirates to a pair of wins. He scored the game-winner in a 3-0 win over NJIT and netted two goals in a victory over DePaul. It is the first time in his career Velasquez earned the conference's weekly top offensive honor.
SPINDLER RECEIVES ACCOLADE
The Pirates saw a pair of student-athletes recognized by the BIG EAST Conference on Oct. 21, as freshman goalkeeper Julian Spindler landed on the Weekly Honor Roll. He earned wins over NJIT (3-0) and DePaul (3-1), picking up his second-career shutout with the win over NJIT and second BIG EAST victory in the matchup with DePaul. He stopped seven of the eight shots he faced for an .875 save percentage.
PERFECT PAIRING
Classmates George Velasquez and Max Garcia each tied a career-high with two goals and two assists respectively in the Pirates' 3-1 victory over DePaul on Oct. 19. Coincidentally, the only other time both players reached those single-game totals also came in the same contest, last season in a 4-1 victory over Pittsburgh at Owen T. Carroll Field.
BIG IMPACT
Just like freshman Samuel Geiler either scored or assisted all three goals in the win over NJIT on Oct. 16, senior midfielder Max Garcia played a part in all three of the Pirates' scores against DePaul. He picked up an assist on both of George Velasquez' scores, and while the other SHU goal technically counted as an own goal against the Blue Demons, it was the result of a Garcia shot that was saved but ricocheted off a defender and into the net.
HOME SWEET HOME
Seton Hall turned in impressive numbers during its recent four-game home stand, posting a 3-1 overall record while picking up a pair of BIG EAST victories. The Pirates averaged two goals per game offensively, limiting opponents to just one score while picking up a shutout in the 3-0 win over NJIT on Oct. 16. Seton Hall sent 45.6 of its 57 shot attempts on net, compared to the team's season shot on goal percentage of 40.1.
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 13 of 14 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 2-5-1 in matches played during the afternoon.
