Pirates Host #22 Creighton on Saturday Afternoon
10/25/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 25, 2013
SETTING THE STAGE
- The Seton Hall University men's soccer team returns home to face the No. 22 Creighton University Jays on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 1 p.m.
- Saturday's matchup will mark the first-ever meeting between Seton Hall and Creighton; the Pirates had not played any of the new members of the BIG EAST Conference (Butler, Xavier, Creighton) prior to this season.
- Seton Hall is coming off a 3-0 loss at Xavier University on Wednesday night, which snapped a two-game winning streak for the squad. Creighton picked up a road win at Butler University, 3-2 on Wednesday night, which put an end to a three-game losing streak for the Jays. Prior to Wednesday night's win Creighton had been shutout in four of its previous five matchups.
- Creighton will represent the third ranked opponent Seton Hall has faced this season; the Pirates are 0-2 against ranked teams in 2013.
- The Pirates have played tough at Owen T. Carroll Field all season long with five of the team's six wins coming on its home field where it is 5-1-2 overall. Seton Hall is 2-1 against conference opponents at home this season.
- Seton Hall currently trails Butler University for sixth place in the BIG EAST standings by three points with three matches to play in the regular season. The top six teams in the conference qualify for the BIG EAST Tournament with the top two seeds receiving a bye into the semifinals.
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.
