Back on the Road, Pirates Face No. 11 Creighton
10/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Creighton Match Notes 
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The Seton Hall University men's soccer team's four-match road trip continues this weekend, as the Pirates head out to Omaha, Neb., to face off with No. 11 Creighton under the lights at Morrison Stadium. Seton Hall is looking to snap a two-match losing streak and grab its first road win of the season, while the Bluejays have won their last two matches, getting off to a strong start in BIG EAST play with a 1-0 win at Villanova last Saturday. It is just the second-ever meeting between the new conference foes, with Seton Hall taking last year's matchup, 3-2 in South Orange.
The Pirates are still looking for their first road victory of the season, falling to 0-3-1 on the road with its 2-0 midweek nonconference loss at Drexel on Tuesday night.
Getting off to a strong start has been paramount to The Hall's success this season, with the team now sitting at 0-4-1 when allowing the opposition to score first. That hurdle presented itself in each of the last two games, with the Pirates trailing at DePaul, 3-0, in the first half, and giving up two first-half goals to Drexel.
Cutting down on defensive mistakes and giveaways is the key for Seton Hall avoiding those early difficulties. Particularly at DePaul last weekend, the Pirates dominated possession and outshot the Blue Demons 14-8, but momentary lapses led to quick scores, forcing The Hall to attempt to comeback, rather than continue to dictate the pace of play.
The task of earning the first road win of the season will be a difficult one, with Creighton already winning six of its seven home matches, while yielding just two scores to visiting teams all season.
Creighton was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation before being upset at Morrison Stadium by No. 20 Saint Louis. Since then, the Bluejays have reeled off wins over Villanova and UMKC.
Three players have proven to be dangerous on the offensive end for Creighton, which is led by Fabian Herbers, who ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring with five goals and three assists for 13 points.
Timo Pitter and Ricky Lopez-Espin have three goals apiece, and Connor Sparrow has been a wall in net, leading the league with a 0.33 goals against average, allowing only three goals in nine games.
QUICK HITS
- Seton Hall is looking for its first road victory of the season as the Pirates are 0-3-1 away from home so far this year.
- Creighton is 6-1-0 on its home turf and this is the first BIG EAST home matchup of the year for the Bluejays.
- Sophomore Samuel Geiler scored twice for The Hall in last year's 3-2 victory over Creighton. In that match, all five goals came during the first half of play, with the Pirates scoring three unanswered after Timo Pitter provided the Bluejays with a 1-0 lead in the third period.
- The Pirates are coming off a 2-0 loss at Drexel on Tuesday. In that game they were outshot 15-8, giving up two goals in the first half.
- Seton Hall has put itself in a hole early in its last two matches, falling behind at DePaul, 3-0, 30 minutes into the action, and trailing at Drexel, 2-0, also in the 30th minute.
- A pair of upperclassmen continue to be the driving force behind Seton Hall's offense. Redshirt senior Victor Manosalvas leads the team and ranks second in the league with five goals, while senior Kai Greene has scored four times with two assists.
- Creighton has seen three players, Fabian Herbers, Timo Pitter and Ricky Lopez-Espin combine to scored 11 of the team's 14 goals this season, with Herbers leading the way with five. Herbers ranks second in the BIG EAST with 13 points.
- Connor Sparrow has played every minute in net for Creighton so far this season, yielding just three goals in nine games, giving up only two scores at Morrison Field all season, posting six shutouts.
LAST TIME WE PLAYED ...
Timo Pitter scored in the third minute to give No.24 Creighton an early lead at Seton Hall last October, but the Pirates answered with three-straight scores to reverse the momentum. Samuel Geiler scored twice for The Hall, the second coming off a penalty kick in the 33rd minute for what ultimately proved to be the game-winner. An SHU own-goal just over a minute later trimmed the SHU advantage back down to one, but neither team came up with a strike in the second period.
EARLY DEFICITS Falling behind early in matches has plagued Seton Hall so far this season, as the Pirates are 0-4-1 when allowing their opponents to score first in 2014. Seton Hall saw both DePaul and Drexel tally multiple strikes in the first half in its last two games and the Pirates are 0-3-1 when trailing at the half.
SETUP MAN Sophomore Samuel Geiler led Seton Hall in scoring with eight goals last season, but so far this year the dynamic midfielder has taken on a different role for the Pirates, getting his teammates in on the action. Geiler currently leads the team with four assists, dishing out two against Princeton on Sept. 15, which tied a career-high, and his 0.57 assists per game is 18th in the country. He had four assists in 18 games last season.
