Second Half Surge Leads The Hall Past Butler

Wednesday, October 24

Indianapolis, Ind.

7 p.m.

Seton Hall University

6-5-2, 2-4-1BE

Butler

4-10-2, 2-5-0BE

Seton Hall

Butler

10/24/2018 11:51:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score BOX (PDF)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Seton Hall men's soccer team (6-5-2, 2-4-1 BIG EAST) kept its postseason hopes alive with a massive three-point result, topping Butler (4-10-2, 2-5-0 BIG EAST) by a score of 2-1 at the Sellick Bowl on Wednesday night. The Pirates now have seven points in league play and are a mere point out of the crucial sixth place position to qualify for the BIG EAST Championship with two regular season matches to play.

CJ Tibbling (Järna, Sweden) and Carlton McKenzie (Birmingham, England) both found the back of the net for the Pirates in the victory, scoring twice within a five minute span early in the second half to erase an early deficit. It marked the first time this season the high-powered forward duo have both scored in the same match.

Butler wasted no time getting on the board, breaking the ice with a goal in the 4^th minute of action. The Pirates responded well and fired seven of the next 10 shots in the first half but could not get on the board, going to the break down 1-0.

Turning Point
It did not take long into the second half for the Pirates to find an equalizer. Mere moments after the opening kick-off to the frame, the Pirates gained possession near midfield and worked their way into the Butler third. Tomas Greco (Buenos Aires, Argentina) fed Tibbling outside the penalty area, before the freshman worked his way towards goal and unleashed a rocket off his left foot past a diving keeper to level the score at 1-1. The goal came only 22 seconds into the second half.

Barely four minutes later, the Pirates again got deep and saw Spencer Burkhardt (Palmyra, Pa.) feed McKenzie in a dangerous area. The junior striker worked towards his right and launched a high arching shot off his right foot and into the top right corner of the cage, giving the Pirates a 2-1 lead in the 50^th minute they would not relent.

Goals
4^th – BU – Logan Lee (3) off Brandon Guhl assist
46^th – SHU – Tibbling (5) left-footed blast from outside area off initial feed from Greco (1)

🎥: CJ Tibbling wasted no getting going time in the second half, finding an equalizer 21 seconds into the frame!#HALLin | #BEfutbol pic.twitter.com/hp1ucy2uM2
— SHU Men's Soccer (@SHUMSOC) October 25, 2018

50^th – SHU – McKenzie (3) took feed from Burkhardt (1) and roofed shot top right corner

🎥: Barely four minutes after the equalizer, Carlton McKenzie delivered with a huge strike that stood as the game-winner! #HALLin | #BEfutbol pic.twitter.com/Q2VHF4AQQT
— SHU Men's Soccer (@SHUMSOC) October 25, 2018

Inside The Numbers

The Pirates finished with a 17-11 edge in total shots and a 6-3 advantage in shots on goal
The Hall generated five corner kicks and only allowed two for BU
Tibbling led all players with six shots, three on goal, while McKenzie added five
In goal, Andreas Nota (Rome, Italy) made two saves for the Pirates

News and Notes

The Pirates are now 1-4-1 all-time against Butler, breaking a five-match scoreless streak against the Bulldogs
The Hall improves to 4-3-1 away from home this season, notching its first road conference win since the 2014 regular season finale at St. John's
Tibbling's goal was his team-high fifth of the season and first since Sept. 22
The goal for McKenzie was his third as a Pirate and second game-winner this year
The assists for Burkhardt and Greco were each their first of the season
The Hall has allowed one goal or fewer in 11 of 13 matches this year

What's Next
The Pirates continue their late season postseason push on Saturday when they host Xavier for a 6 p.m. start on Senior Night.