Pirates Host Marquette on Senior Night

Oct. 31, 2014

Seton Hall will celebrate Senior Day prior to its kickoff against No. 24 Marquette on Saturday night at 7 p.m., and the Pirates' 11 members of the Class of 2015 will have a chance to help the squad make a big move toward securing a berth in the BIG EAST Tournament once the action gets underway.

With five of the six spots in the conference tournament already sewn up, Seton Hall currently trails the Golden Eagles by just one point with two regular season matches to play for all 10 BIG EAST squads. After getting off to a slow start to the season, the Pirates have earned points in three of their last four BIG EAST matches, most recently tying Butler Wednesday night on the road.

Technically, all 10 teams can still qualify for postseason play, even with only one open spot remaining, which makes earning the win over Marquette that much more important.

The Golden Eagles enter Saturday night's showdown winless over their last five matches, falling at Creighton, 2-0, in its midweek matchup. Marquette earned four of its six points in the first two matches of BIG EAST play, beating St. John's and tying Georgetown, but is just 0-3-2 since Oct. 11.

Defensively, Marquette is an elite squad, allowing just nine goals all season while goalkeeper Charlie Lyon ranks 11th in the nation with a 0.57 goals against average. Seton Hall has been struggling to score over the past month, netting more than one goal just once since a 5-4 loss to Princeton on Sept. 14, and the Pirates come into Saturday having been shut out in back-to-back games for the first time this season.

The Golden Eagles have controlled the series as of late, winning four straight meetings dating back to the 2010 season, and Seton Hall will be looking for its first win over Marquette since 2007.

QUICK HITS

Seton Hall picked up its second BIG EAST road point of the season with a 0-0 tie at Butler on Wednesday night. It is the first time since 2009 the Pirates have accrued points on the road in multiple games in a season.
The Pirates currently trail Marquette by just one point for the sixth and final berth to the BIG EAST Tournament. DePaul and Butler also sit just a point behind the Golden Eagles. Five of the sixth spots in the conference tournament have already been claimed.
Seton Hall will honor 11 players as a part of its Senior Day festivities prior to kickoff on Saturday night.
Samuel Geiler came off the bench for the first time in his career at Butler on Wednesday, and was aggressive in the 37 minutes he saw on the field, finishing with a team-high five shots attempts and two shots on goal.
Goalkeeper Julian Spindler made three saves at Butler on Wednesday night to record his sixth shutout of the season. He has posted two shutouts in conference play.
Marquette has struggled on the road this season, particularly during BIG EAST play. The Golden Eagles are 1-3-1 on the road overall and 0-2-1 against conference foes. Marquette is winless over its last five outings, posting an 0-3-2 mark in those matches.
The Golden Eagles are an elite defensive team, yielding just nine scores in 15 matches so far this season, limiting their opponents to just 10.6 shots per game. Charlie Lyon has played every minute in net, and has eight shutouts and a 0.57 goals against average, which ranks third in the BIG EAST and 11th in the nation.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MARQUETTE
Marquette holds a narrow lead in the all-time series against Seton Hall, 4-3-2, but the Golden Eagles have controlled the recent meetings, winning four-straight against The Hall, including a 2-1 victory last season in Milwuakee. The two programs had never met prior to Marquette joining the BIG EAST Conference prior to the 2005 season. Seton Hall won the first three matchups with Marquette, with the last victory coming back in 2007.

LAST TIME WE MET...
Seton Hall lost a close match at Marquette last season, falling 2-1 after C. Nortey scored from six-yards out in the 81st minute to lift the No. 18 Golden Eagles to a win. After falling behind 1-0 in the eighth minute, the Pirates came back to knot the score early in the second period after Max Garcia took advantage of a turnover to score from 18-yards out in the 47th minute.

PLAYOFF PICTURE
Five of the six spots in the BIG EAST Tournament have been clinched, but all five of the remaining conference teams remain alive in the race for the final position. The sixth spot is currently occupied by Marquette, with six points behind a 1-3-3 conference record. Seton Hall, Butler and DePaul each sit one point back at 1-3-2, while St. John's is in 10th with four points at 1-5-1. Seton Hall closes out the regular season at St. John's next Thursday night.

BLANKING THE COMPETITION
After earning a 0-0 draw at Butler on Oct. 29, Seton Hall has now posted a pair of shutouts during BIG EAST play, also beating Georgetown University, 1-0, on Oct. 18. It is the first time since the 2009 season the Pirates have blanked more than one conference foe; the year they tied No. 15 St. John's and Marquette, both 0-0.

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Seton Hall University Athletics

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