Pirates Head to Providence for BIG EAST Opener
9/26/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 26, 2013
SETTING THE STAGE
- Seton Hall will get its BIG EAST season underway when it heads up to Providence, R.I., to face the Providence College Friars on Saturday, Sept. 28, at 1 p.m.
- Saturday afternoon's contest is the first of three-straight road games for Seton Hall and the Pirates are in the midst of a stretch that includes five of six matchups away from home. After a road game at Georgetown next weekend Seton Hall finishes the season with six of its final eight at Owen T. Carroll Field.
- Seton Hall is coming off a 2-0 loss to Bucknell last Saturday afternoon, which marked the third-straight setback for the Pirates. After averaging 3.0 goals per game through the first four games of the season Seton Hall has failed to score in each of its last three contests.
- Providence was undefeated through its first seven games of the year before losing 4-0 at Virginia on Tuesday night. With five wins in 2013 the Friars have already eclipsed their win total from all of the 2012 season.
- Providence junior forward Fabio Machado was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week after scoring two goals in the Friars' 2-0 win over Boston University.
SCOUTING THE FRIARS
The Providence Friars were unbeaten through their first seven games of the season before losing 4-0 at Virginia on Tuesday night. It is the best start to a season for Providence since it was unbeaten through its first nine games of 2005. Fabio Machado was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after scoring a pair of goals in a 2-0 win over Boston University. Julian Gressel leads the team with three goals and an assist while Markus Naglestand and Wilder Arboleda also have a pair of scores. Keael Broome has played all 760 minutes in goal for the Friars and boasts a 1.18 goals against average which ranks third in the BIG EAST.
SERIES HISTORY VS. PROVIDENCE
Seton Hall leads what has historically been an evenly matched series against the Friars, 12-11-6. The recent history between the two teams has been no different, with the meetings tied 2-2-1 over the last five matchups. Seton Hall picked up a 2-1 win over Providence last season in South Orange, snapping a two-game losing streak in the series. The Pirates are looking for their first win at Providence since a 5-1 victory on Nov. 6, 2001.
PIRATES IN BIG EAST OPENERS
Seton Hall is 13-13-2 all-time in BIG EAST Conference opening matches. The Pirates' last win in a conference opener came at Syracuse University in a 3-1 victory on Sept. 18, 2009. SHU lost last year's BIG EAST opening tilt at Syracuse, 1-0.
ROAD WARRIORS
When Seton Hall faces Providence on Saturday afternoon it will officially mark the fifth-straight season the Pirates have opened BIG EAST play on the road. Overall, the Pirates have played their first conference game of the season away from home in eight of the last 10 seasons.
WHEN LAST WE MET
Seton Hall picked up a 2-1 win over Providence last season thanks in part to senior forward George Velasquez' three-point game. He assisted Christian Battistesa's goal in the sixth minute and then broke a 1-1 tie by scoring the game winner in the 74th minute.
BRICK WALL
Seton Hall failed to find the back of the net against Bucknell last weekend despite firing a season-high 23 shots, 12 of which were on frame. Bucknell keeper Mike Lansing finished the game with 11 saves, the most in a single game against Seton Hall since Oct. 19, 2008.
SHOTS FIRED
Seton Hall finished with season-highs in total shots attempts with 23 and shots on goal with 12 in its game against Bucknell on Sept. 21. It marked the most total shot attempts for the Pirates since they had 23 in a 3-0 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Sept. 12, 2011, and the most shots on goal since the team recorded 13 at West Virginia on Oct. 19, 2008.
NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
With four assists already this season redshirt junior Victor Manosalvas has already accumulated four assists, which is tied for second in the BIG EAST Conference and is also tied for ninth in the nation.
MAKING THE MOST OF IT
Senior forward John Gurel made his first start of the season at Princeton on Sept. 15, and was one of Seton Hall's chief aggressors on the offensive end throughout the game. He finished with a team-high three shot attempts in 52 minutes played.
OFF TO A NICE START
Seton Hall was unbeaten through its first four matches of the season (2-0-2) for the first time since 2008 when the Pirates won their first four games of the season.
EXCELLENT OFFENSE
Seton Hall erupted for five goals, all after the half, in a 5-4 double overtime win against Delaware on Sept. 10. It marked the first time the Pirates have scored five goals in a game since a 5-2 win over Saint Peter's on Sept. 1, 2008.
