Men's Soccer Unveils 2014 Schedule
5/29/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
May 29, 2014
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Seton Hall University head men's soccer coach Gerson Echeverry on Thursday unveiled the Pirates' complete 2014 fall schedule.
Once again Echeverry has pieced together a challenging non-conference slate, which when combined with the Hall's nine matches against BIG EAST foes, results in a 17-game schedule featuring eight teams that qualified for NCAA Tournament competition a year ago.
"I think it is extremely important for us to play games that will prepare us for BIG EAST right off the bat," said Echeverry. "Obviously those are also games that will help us build an NCAA Tournament resume. This year we are bringing in a lot of quality players and some of our experienced guys definitely don't want to leave here without having a taste of going to the big dance. We have picked teams that will provide us with a challenge and ready us for that opportunity."
Seton Hall will play nine of its matches away from Owen T. Carroll Field, starting with the season opener at the University of Rhode Island on Friday, Aug. 29. Two days later, the Pirates return to South Orange for their home opener, the first-ever meeting with UMass Lowell.
A midweek trip to Delaware on Sept 10, begins a difficult stretch of non-conference competition. The Blue Hens finished fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association last season, earning at at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament where they fell to St. John's in the opening round. SHU and Delaware played to a 3-3 draw last year in South Orange.
The longest home stand of the season, three-straight matches at Owen T. Carroll, commences with Princeton University on Sept. 14. The defending Atlantic-10 champion George Mason Patriots pay a visit to Seton Hall on Sept. 19, and the Pirates host regional rival Monmouth on Sept. 23.
George Mason won the Atlantic-10 title in their first season in the league and the Patriots were ousted from the NCAA Tournament in the second round by national semifinalist New Mexico, 1-0. Monmouth earned the top seed for the MAAC Tournament but saw its season come to an end when it lost to Quinnipiac in penalty kicks in the league's championship game.
A four-match road trip commences with Seton Hall's BIG EAST opener at DePaul University on Sept. 27. Last season the BIG EAST solidified its status as one of the premier men's soccer conferences in the nation, sending five of 10 teams to the NCAA Tournament and the Pirates will see three of their first four league contests come away from home this fall.
"I think our conference is one of the top two or three in the country," said Echeverry. "We have teams that on any given day can beat anybody, and that means anyone in the country. Teams try to play good soccer, so it is entertaining in that aspect, which to go along with all the talent from top to bottom makes it a fun league to watch. It is exciting for us knowing that you don't have any easy games, they are all battles."
Between the conference opener and a trip to Omaha, Neb., to face Creighton University on Oct. 4, Seton Hall heads south to face Drexel University on Sept. 30, and concludes its extended road swing at Columbia on Oct. 8.
Drexel made it back-to-back NCAA Tournament trips by winning the CAA title last season and the Dragons tied SHU 3-3 in their early season tilt. Columbia posted an 8-6-3 overall mark in 2013, but the Lions were 1-3-3 in the Ivy League.
From there the heart of the BIG EAST season awaits. Seton Hall welcomes Xavier University for its conference home opener on Oct. 11, before heading down to Villanova on Oct. 15.
Four of the Hall's final five opponents were NCAA Tournament teams a year ago. Seton Hall hosts Georgetown University on Oct. 18, and Providence College on Oct. 25, and the final midweek game of the year comes at Butler University on Oct. 29.
"Obviously we need to play well at home, but over the last several years we have not been able to get results playing away in the BIG EAST," said Echeverry. "We have not done a good job at getting wins and points on the road which has been why our record in the BIG EAST has not been where we would like it to be."
Seton Hall closes out its home schedule against Marquette University on Nov. 1, and will head to St. John's University for the regular season finale against the Red Storm on Nov. 7.
The 2014 BIG EAST Tournament format is unchanged from a year ago with the top six teams in the conference standings qualifying for postseason play. The top two seeds will receive a bye to the semifinals while the two quarterfinal matchups will take place at campus sites on Nov. 11.
