BIG EAST Play Arrives as Pirates Head to DePaul
9/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
DePaul Match Notes 
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SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Coming off the longest home stand of the season, the Seton Hall University men's soccer team will now hit the road for four-straight matches, starting this Saturday afternoon with the BIG EAST opener at DePaul University.
After losing to Princeton, 5-4, in the first of three-straight home matches the Pirate defense buckled down to post consecutive shutouts, blanking No. 18 George Mason in a scoreless draw last Friday and holding on to defeat Monmouth, 1-0 earlier this week.
It is the first time Seton Hall recorded a shutout in consecutive games since 2010, and sophomore goalkeeper Julian Spindler (Weiersbach, Germany) was credited with the shutout in both victories, bringing his season tally to three.
On the offensive end, redshirt senior midfielder Victor Manosalvas (Clifton, N.J.) continues to shine for The Hall, picking up his career-best fifth goal of the season in the victory over Monmouth on Tuesday night while registering the first game-winner of his career in the process.
Manosalvas had one goal through his first three seasons, but has broken out this year, establishing himself as a premier scoring threat nationally. He currently leads the BIG EAST in goals (5) and points per game (1.83), and ranks in the top-25 in the nation in points per game (14th), goals per game (11th) and total points (25th).
While the offensive spotlight will focus on Manosalvas, the Pirates are aiming to reverse a number of road trends that have prevented them from climbing the BIG EAST standings in recent years.
In somewhat of an oddity, this marks the sixth-straight season Seton Hall is opening conference play on the road, and the Pirates have seen their first BIG EAST game of the season come away from home in 9 of the last 11 seasons.
As a result, The Hall has not won its conference opener since defeating Syracuse, 3-1, early in the 2009, which was also the last time the Pirates won a BIG EAST road match. With five of nine conference games on the road this season, starting the year off with success away from home will prove to be of the utmost importance.
Like Seton Hall, DePaul is more effective on its home turf, posting a 2-1 record at Wish Field, while going 1-3-1 in all other matches.
The Blue Demons have lost two straight, falling to Northwestern, 1-0, on Wednesday night, but they boast the reigning BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week in Jalen Harvey, who netted a hat trick in a comeback win over Drake on Sept. 17.
SERIES HISTORY VS. DEPAUL
Seton Hall and DePaul had never met prior to the Blue Demons joining the BIG EAST Conference prior to the 2005 season. Since then, the programs have played just four times, with DePaul holding a slight edge in those matchups, 2-1-1. Seton Hall picked up its first-ever win over DePaul, 3-1, last season in South Orange, and the Pirates are 0-1-1 all-time at Wish Field. SHU last traveled to DePaul in 2011, suffering a 2-1 setback in its BIG EAST opener that season.
BIG EAST OPENERS
Seton Hall is 13-14-2 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 Providence, 3-1.
ROAD WARRIORS
When Seton Hall faces DePaul on Saturday afternoon it will officially mark the sixth-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 nine of the last 11 seasons.
LAST TIME WE PLAYED ...
Seton Hall was led by a pair of seniors in last year's 3-1 win against DePaul. Forward George Velasquez scored twice and Max Garcia recorded a pair of assists. The Pirates led 1-0 at the half and held a 3-0 lead in the 58th minute, with DePaul's Simon Megally getting the Blue Demons on the scoreboard in the 79th minute. Goalkeeper Julian Spindler stopped three of the four shots he faced in the win.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
After landing on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the second time this season, sophomore goalkeeper Julian Spindler received some national recognition for his strong play as he landed on the TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week. Spindler made seven saves, including a critical stop in double overtime to help the Pirates post a 0-0 shutout against No. 18 George Mason on Sept. 19. He has a career-best three shutouts this season and a 1.40 goals against average.
KEEPING THEM SCORELESS
Seton Hall gave up a season-high five goals to Princeton on Sept. 14, but has bounced back to post shutouts in its last two matches, blanking No. 18 George Mason in a 0-0 draw and defeating Monmouth, 1-0. It is the first time the Pirates have held consecutive opponents without a goal since beating Saint Peter's and Pittsburgh ,1-0 and 4-0 respectively, during the 2010 season.
