No. 3 Georgetown Visits MSOC on Saturday
10/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Georgetown Match Notes 
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The Seton Hall University men's soccer team returns home this Saturday, Oct. 18, for a showdown with the third-ranked Georgetown Hoyas at Owen T. Carroll Field.
The Pirates registered their first point of BIG EAST play with a hard-fought draw at Villanova on Wednesday afternoon, but the team still needs to make moves to climb into the top six and qualify for the BIG EAST Tournament, a spot they currently trail by three points.
While Seton Hall's road success snapped a three-match losing streak in conference play, the Hoyas are coming off a loss for the first time since Sept. 11, having suffered a 2-0 setback to a surging Providence squad on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
Seton Hall will aim to reverse a trend of negative results against Georgetown. Although the all-time series is tied 16-16-2, the Hoyas have won six-straight against The Hall and seven of the last eight, including a 2-0 victory in their last trip to South Orange in2012.
The Pirates had been stout defensively on their home field before the 3-1 loss to Xavier last weekend. Outside of the high scoring 5-4 loss to Princeton, Seton Hall had not given up a goal at home until the Musketeers engineered three scores.
Senior forward Kai Greene took over the team lead in scoring with a penalty kick conversion in the 88th minute at Villanova earlier in the week. He continued his career-best season with his fifth score of the year, which along with a pair of assists leaves him with 12 points on the year.
While Greene along with redshirt senior Victor Manosalvas have shouldered the bulk of the scoring duties for Seton Hall, Georgetown has a clear-cut offensive leader in BIG EAST Player of the Year candidate Brandon Allen.
Allen ranks first in the BIG EAST in goals scored (9) and total points (20) and is also in the top-10 nationally in both categories, ranking fifth in goals scored and eighth in points.
In the net, Thomas Gomez boasts a 0.57 goals against average, which is actually only good for third in the conference, even though he ranks 14th nationally.
QUICK HITS
- Seton Hall recorded its first point of the conference season with a 1-1 draw at Villanova on Wednesday afternoon. Senior Kai Greene converted a penalty kick in the 88th minute to lead the Pirates' comeback.
- The tie at Villanova represented the first BIG EAST road points for Seton Hall since a 1-1 draw at Providence back on Oct. 17, 2009.
- The Pirates were awarded three penalty kicks at Villanova, all coming in the second half on hand balls in the box. Victor Manosalvas and Samuel Geiler were both turned away by Will Steiner before Greene's successful conversion.
- Seton Hall was forced to come back and hold on for the tie at Villanova while playing a man down for the final 27:08 of the match after freshman Lukas Pangonis was sent off with his second yellow card in the 83rd minute. Pangonis will subsequently miss Saturday's tilt with Georgetown.
- With his score off a PK at Villanova, Kai Greene took over the scoring lead for The Hall. He has a career-best five goals with two assists for 12 points during his stellar senior season.
- SHU lost its BIG EAST home opener last weekend to Xavier, 3-1. Bolu Akinyode scored his second goal of the season in the loss.
- Georgetown had its seven match unbeaten streak broken with its 2-0 loss to Providence on Wednesday. It was the Hoyas' first home loss of the season, at the first at Shaw Field since a 1-0 loss to Michigan State in last year's NCAA Tournament.
- Offensively Georgetown is led by BIG EAST Player of the Year candidate Brandon Allen, who has nine goals and two assists. Thomas Gomez has allowed just eight goals all season, with a 0.57 GAA and seven shutouts.
LONG TIME COMING
With its 1-1 draw at Villanova on Oct. 15, Seton Hall earned its first BIG EAST road point since a 1-1 draw at Providence on Oct. 17, 2009. The Pirates' last BIG EAST road victory came during that same season in the conference opener at Syracuse.
TRY, TRY, TRY AGAIN
In a statistical oddity, the Seton Hall men's soccer team was awarded three penalty kicks in the same game at Villanova on Oct. 15, with all three calls coming on hand balls in the box in the second half. The Pirates trailed at the time of all three whistles, and missed the first two attempts before senior Kai Greene stepped up to convert and tie the match in the 88th minute.
UNBEATEN IN OT
During the Gerson Echeverry era, Seton Hall has boasted an impressive record during overtime contests. In fact, the Pirates have not lost in overtime during Echeverry's three seasons as head coach. SHU has played eight matches that reached extra time over the past two-plus seasons, posting a 4-0-4 record in those contests. Seton Hall's last overtime loss came against Marquette, 3-2, back on Oct. 20, 2010.
