Men's Soccer Match at Villanova Moved to 12 PM
10/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Villanova Match Notes 
| Live Video ($) |
The Seton Hall University men's soccer team heads back on the road to face BIG EAST foe Villanova University on Wednesday, Oct. 15, in Villanova, Pa., at 12 p.m. The Pirates are in need of a result to move up the BIG EAST standings and position themselves for a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament, after falling to 0-3-0 in conference play following a 3-1 loss to Xavier over the weekend.
Villanova sits only three points ahead of The Hall, meaning the Pirates have an opportunity to make a serious move with a head-to-head win. The Wildcats beat DePaul, 4-0, at home back on Oct. 4, but have also lost matches at Providence, and at home to Creighton.
The setback to Creighton stands as the only loss at the Villanova Soccer Complex this year for the Wildcats. Villanova is 6-5-1 overall, but 4-1-1 on its home field. After that home loss, Villanova bounced back to win three-straight, including that lopsided result over the Blue Demons, but that winning streak was snapped on Saturday, 2-1, at Providence.
Seton Hall came back from an early deficit to tie Xavier on a Bolu Akinyode score over the weekend, but a first half PK for the Musketeers amounted to the game-winner and The Hall was unable to come back.
The Pirates have started 0-2 on the road in BIG EAST play, but picked up their first road victory of the season in the non-conference finale at Columbia last Wednesday night. SHU will see five of its nine conference matches come on the road this season, which again means pressure to find a way to win on Wednesday to keep pace for one of the postseason berths.
After Kai Greene and Victor Manosalvas provided a bulk of the scoring through the first half of the season, recently SHU is seeing more variation in its goal scorers. Senior Mateusz Brela and freshman Patrick Burd scored at Creighton, sophomore Samuel Geiler netted his first of the season in the win at Creighton, and Akinyode netted his second of the year against Xavier on Saturday.
Similar to Seton Hall, Villanova has two players that represent a large percentage of its offensive points in Aaron Dennis and Hayden Harr. Dennis leads the team in goals (5) and points (12), with Harr just behind with four goals and nine points. Will Steiner has played every minute in goal, and his .867 save percentage ranks second in the league.
QUICK HITS
- Seton Hall and Villanova are meeting for the 12th-straight season. The Wildcats have won four of the last five matchups, but the Pirates were victorious last year in South Orange, 2-1.
- SHU lost its BIG EAST home opener to Xavier on Saturday afternoon in South Orange. Senior Bolu Akinyode scored for The Hall, his career-best second goal of the season, but the Musketeers netted what proved to be the game-winner on a PK later in the first half.
- The Pirates grabbed their first road win of the season at Columbia last Wednesday night. It was sophomore Samuel Geiler that recorded the game-winner, converting a PK in the 87th minute. SHU is 1-4-1 on the road this season and 0-2-0 away from home in BIG EAST play.
- The last time Seton Hall played at Villanova was in the first round of the 2012 BIG EAST Tournament, a game the Wildcats won 3-1. That game was postponed by a day due to travel issues arising from the impact of Superstorm Sandy.
- Villanova is 1-2-0 in BIG EAST play, but the Wildcats' victory came at home, a one-sided 4-0 win over DePaul on Oct. 4.
- The Wildcats have been impressive at home all season, posting a 4-1-1 record at the Villanova Soccer Complex compared to 2-4-0 away from home.
- Aaron Dennis leads Villanova offensively with five goals and a pair of assists for 12 points. Hayden Harr ranks second in scoring with four goals. Will Steiner has played every minute in goal, boasting a 0.67 goals against average and a .867 save percentage, which ranks second in the BIG EAST.
LAST TIME WE MET...
Seton Hall snapped a four-match losing streak to Villanova with its 2-1 victory last season in South Orange. Bolu Akinyode gave the Pirates an early lead, scoring in the 35th minute on a play where Kai Greene and Samuel Geiler were both credited with assists. Max Garcia netted the game-winner in the 83rd minute, with an assist coming from Geiler, his second of the game. Julian Spindler made four saves on the day to pick up the win and Seton Hall held a 15-10 advantage in shot attempts.
AKINYODE NETS HIS SECOND
Senior midfielder Bolu Akinyode scored his career-best second goal of the year, cleaning up a deflection off a corner kick in the 23rd minute against Xavier on Oct. 11. It is the first multi-goal season of his career, and he now ranks fourth on the team in scoring with a pair of goals and an assist for five points.
GOAL GEILER
After leading Seton Hall with eight goals last season, sophomore midfielder Samuel Geiler netted his first score of 2014, converting a penalty kick in the 87th minute to lift the Pirates past Columbia, 1-0, on Oct. 8, in New York. Geiler vaulted to third on the team in scoring this season, tallying six points on a goal with a team-high four assists.
