Men's Soccer Battles Drexel on Tuesday Night
9/29/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Drexel Match Notes 
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The four-match road swing continues for the Seton Hall men's soccer team as the Pirates step out of conference once again to face Drexel University on Tuesday, Sept. 30, in Philadelphia, Pa. The Pirates are coming off a 3-1 loss in their BIG EAST opener at DePaul while Drexel beat Fairleigh Dickinson, 3-0, over the weekend.
For Seton Hall, Tuesday night's game is another opportunity to gather some momentum on the road, and it comes with a critical time as a matchup with No. 12 Creighton looms on Saturday night in Omaha. The Pirates are 0-2-1 on the road this season and will see four of their next five matches come away from home.
It is the second-straight season Seton Hall will match up with the Dragons, after the two teams played to a 3-3 tie in a high scoring back-and-forth affair last year in South Orange. Samuel Geiler was the star for SHU in that game, scoring twice in just his second match as a collegian. SHU leads the all-time series with Drexel, 2-0-1, and this is The Hall's second-ever trip to Vidas Field.
The usual suspects were involved in SHU's late goal at DePaul on Saturday, with Geiler feeding Kai Greene from close range in the 90th minute. Greene scored his career-best fourth goal of the season while Geiler tallied his team leading fourth assist. Greene and Geiler, in addition to redshirt senior Victor Manosalvas, who leads the team with 11 points, have combined to record 25 of The Hall's 34 points this season.
The Dragons have been struggling as of late, but the weekend win over Fairleigh Dickinson snapped a six-match winless streak dating back to Sept. 3. After winning the first two matches of the year, Drexel went 0-4-2 over its next six before getting back in the win column against the Knights.
Drexel's offensive attack has been low-scoring but balanced, with seven players combining to account for the team's seven goals in 2014. The Dragons have also only allowed seven goals, yielding only one first-half goal this season.
John Grosh, who scored twice in last year's match at Seton Hall, has not found the back of the net yet this season, but is tied for the team lead with a pair of assists.
QUICK HITS
- Seton Hall is looking for its first road victory of the season as the Pirates are 0-2-1 away from home so far this year.
- Drexel is 1-2-0 on its home turf, but the Dragons' victory was over a BIG EAST foe as they knocked off Villanova, 1-0, back on Sept. 3.
- Seton Hall was able to avoid the shutout as senior forward Kai Greene scored his career-best fourth goal of the season in the 90th minute at DePaul on Saturday. Sophomore Samuel Geiler assisted the effort, his team-leading fourth helper of 2014.
- When Seton Hall met Drexel last year in South Orange, it was a breakout game for Samuel Geiler, who scored two goals in just the second collegiate game of his career. Geiler is still searching for his first goal of the season but does lead The Hall with four assists.
- Drexel's strength so far this season has been its defense, as the Dragons have allowed just seven goals in nine matches, yielding 0.78 scores per game. However, Drexel has also scored just seven times, with seven different players combining for the goals.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Julian Spindler received national accolades for his strong performance in the nets for The Hall's draw against George Mason on Sept. 19, as he was named to the TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week. A day earlier he earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the second time this season and the third time in his career.
- Redshirt senior midfielder Victor Manosalvas scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season and notched the first game-winner of his career in Seton Hall's 1-0 victory over Monmouth last Tuesday.
LAST TIME WE PLAYED ...
Last year's meeting with Drexel was a high scoring affair, with the teams combining for six scores in a 3-3 tie in South Orange. John Grosh scored twice in the first half to give the Dragons a 2-1 lead, only to see Samuel Geiler answer with a pair of goals of his own to help the Pirates come back to earn the tie. Drexel held a slight edge, 19-18, in shot attempts in the wide open offensive game.
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 0.67 assists per game is eighth in the country. He had four assists in 18 games last season.
GREENE ADDS FOURTH SCORE OF THE SEASON
Two of Seton Hall's prominent offensive pieces combined for a late goal at DePaul, as sophomore Samuel Geiler fed Kai Greene in the area in the 90th minute. It was the fourth goal of the year for Greene and the team-leading fourth assist of the year for Geiler. Greene has scored in four of the Pirates' seven games this season and ranks second on the team with 10 points while Geiler has already tied his assist total from his freshman campaign.
