Brizuela's Brace Against Villanova Sends Pirates to Postseason

Friday, November 6

South Orange, N.J.

6:56 p.m.

Seton Hall University

7-4-6, 4-2-2

Villanova

5-9-3, 0-7-1

Team	1	2	Final F
Villanova	0	0	0
Seton Hall	3	0	3

11/7/2026 12:27:00 AM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Aided by a first-half brace from Joaquin Brizeula, the Seton Hall men's soccer team (7-4-6, 4-2-2 BE) defeated the Villanova Wildcats (5-9-3, 0-7-1 BE), 3-0, to secure a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament during Friday evening's Senior Night clash at Owen T. Carroll Field.

The Pirates dominated the first half against the Wildcats, with two goals from Joaquin Brizuela and one from Tim Valentine, taking a 3-0 lead into halftime. With the lead at their backs, the Pirates' defense smothered Villanova's offense, holding the visitors to three second-half shots as the team maintained its three-goal lead to the final whistle.

With the win, the Pirates secured a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament. Additionally, they end the regular season with a 7-4-6 overall record and 4-2-2 in BIG EAST play.

HOW IT HAPPENED
In front of a packed crowd at Owen T. Carroll Field, the Pirates immediately gave fans something to cheer for. After rattling a shot off the crossbar in the eighth minute, the Pirates struck first two minutes later. Til Kauschke launched a corner kick into a crowded box, landing the ball amongst a gaggle of bodies. Fortunately for The Hall, it eventually found its way to Joaquin Brizuela. The Argentinian striker laced the ball through the crowd to the near post to secure a 1-0 Seton Hall lead.

VAMOS FLACOOOOO 🔥 Joaquin Brizuela fights through the chaos to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead! #HALLin🔵⚪️⚽️ | 🏴‍☠️x🇦🇷 https://t.co/tcgM6fByNO
— Seton Hall Men's Soccer (@SHUMSOC) November 7, 2026

Brizuela kept firing in the ensuing minutes, forcing a pair of saves from Villanova's netminder. The Wildcats nearly equalized the game in the 29^th minute when, off a free kick, Devin Armstrong was forced to make a leaping save to preserve the lead. Eventually, however, it would be Tim Valentine's turn to make a statement. Off another Kauschke service, Valentine leapt up and launched a booming header into the back of the net, doubling the Pirates' lead with 23 minutes left in the half.

TIMMY TIME HAS ARRIVED ⏰ Tim Valentine flips his way into the scorebook with a booming header to double the lead! #HALLin🔵⚪️⚽️ | 🏴‍☠️x🇺🇸🇹🇹 https://t.co/FcBUkqSKCR
— Seton Hall Men's Soccer (@SHUMSOC) November 7, 2026

As both sides made a raft of substitutions in the closing stages of the opening stanza, the Pirates offense did not miss a beat. As the clock dipped under a minute, Milomir Cvoric dispossessed a Villanova player in the defensive third. Mikkel Lejbowicz tapped it to Sivert Ryssdalsnes, who sent a lofted ball far up the opposite side of the field. The ball found Brizuela again, who, after baiting the Wildcats' goalie out of position, slid it into the empty net to make it 3-0 for Seton Hall heading into halftime.

THE RAIN WON'T SLOW US DOWN 🌧️🌧️ Joaquin Brizuela beats the keeper to make it a 3-0 Seton Hall lead entering halftime! #HALLin🔵⚪️⚽️ | 🏴‍☠️x🇦🇷 https://t.co/NfErCLCrhu
— Seton Hall Men's Soccer (@SHUMSOC) November 7, 2026

Out of the break, the Pirates sat poised to claim a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament if they could keep the lead and get help from the rest of the league. Despite rotating the lineup at halftime, The Hall's offense kept pouncing on the Wildcats' miscues, leading to a few near misses at the net. Defensively, Seton Hall left Villanova to drown, holding the visitors to three second-half shots.

As the clock expired, the Pirates' celebration was muted given the wait for all the other games to go final. Mere moments later, after UConn's draw against Georgetown went final, the players celebrated vociferously. With the 3-0 win over Villanova, the Pirates secured the fourth seed in the BIG EAST Tournament.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Armstrong recorded his tenth shutout of the season, extending his single-season record and tying himself for the most in the nation.
Brizuela recorded his first career brace, raising his season tally to three goals.
Kauschke recorded his first career multi-assist game, raising his total to six assists this season.
Valentine recorded his team-leading fourth goal of the season.
- His four goals is the second-most by any freshman under Lindberg's tenure, trailing only CJ Tibbling's six goals in the 2018 season.
Lejbowicz and Ryssdalsnes recorded their first assists of the season.
The Pirates outshot Villanova 20-to-2.
The Hall logged five corner kicks to the Friars' three.

NEWS & NOTES

With the win, Seton Hall moves to 7-4-6 and 4-2-2 in BIG EAST play.
Additionally, the Pirates now move to 24-16-3 all-time against Villanova.
The Pirates will play a postseason match for the fifth consecutive season.
- The last time the Pirates played a postseason match in five consecutive seasons was The Hall's 14-year postseason streak under Head Coach Manfred Schellscheidt from 1994 to 2007.

UP NEXT
The Pirates will travel down to Boyds, Maryland, to take on the No. 1-seeded Georgetown Hoyas in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Tournament on Thursday, November 12. Opening kick is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. with the match being broadcast on ESPN+. Tickets can be bought here.