Pirates Clash with Bluejays in BIG EAST Semis on Thursday

South Orange, N.J. – Seton Hall men's soccer begins its quest for a second BIG EAST title in three seasons on Thursday against No. 6 seed Creighton in the BIG EAST Championship semifinals. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at Maryland Soccerplex in Boyds, Md. Live coverage can be found on the BIG EAST Digital Network on FloFC.

LAST TIME OUT
The Pirates wrapped up the regular season with a 0-0 draw against Butler at Owen T. Carroll Field. The match was largely a defensive affair, with the Pirates putting together some solid chances in the second half. Hannes Ronnholmen (Stockholm, Sweden) made five saves en route to his sixth shutout of the season.

SCOUTING CREIGHTON (7-4-6, 3-3-4)

The sixth-seeded Bluejays upset third-seeded Xavier on the road in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament on Saturday night.
Duncan Maguire was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year after leading the league in points (30) and goals (14).
The Bluejays had seven players named to the All-BIG EAST teams, tying them with Georgetown for the most in the league.
The Pirates and Bluejays met earlier this season on Oct. 15 at Owen T. Carroll Field, as a 90^th minute penalty kick goal from Quenzi Huerman led to the match finishing in a 1-1 draw.

NEWS & NOTES

This is Seton Hall's second BIG EAST Tournament berth in the last three seasons. The last time they qualified was in the spring of 2021, when the Pirates took home their first BIG EAST title since 1991.
The Pirates are seeking their 11^th trip to the BIG EAST title game and have won each of their last three BIG EAST semifinal matches (2020, 2004, 2000).
The second-place finish in the conference standings is the best for the program since winning the regular season title in 1991.
The Pirates' 17 points in conference play are the most since 2006 when they finished with 21.
Luca Dahn, Quenzi Huerman and Johannes Pex were all named to All-BIG EAST teams. Dahn and Huerman were named to the First Team, while Pex received a Third Team honor.
Dahn and Pex are the first Pirates to be named to three straight All-BIG EAST teams since Brayan Martinez, who made four straight from 2007-10.
The Pirates completed their second unbeaten home regular season schedule in the last three seasons, going 3-0-4 at Owen T. Carroll Field.
Prior to the loss on Oct. 19 at Georgetown, the Pirates had a seven-match unbeaten streak to open BIG EAST play, a program best start to league action.
Quenzi Huerman has 18 points on the season, the most by a Pirate since Andres Arcila's 21 point campaign in 2017.
Huerman's 90^th minute game-tying penalty kick against Creighton was the second such goal this season for the Pirates. Pex scored in the same fashion against Xavier in a 2-2 draw on Sep. 17.
The Pirates have six game-tying/go-ahead goals in the 70^th minute or later this season.
Seton Hall has won its last eight matches, and 17 of its last 18, when scoring the first goal.
The draw against Creighton on Oct. 15 was the Pirates' sixth of the season, setting a new single-season program mark.
Luca Dahn has played wire-to-wire in a match in 45 of his 48 career matches.
Hannes Ronnholmen's six shutouts are tied for the third most in a season in program history.
Borg's goal against St. John's on Oct. 1 was the latest regulation game-winning goal for the Pirates since CJ Tibbling's 89^th minute goal against Air Force in the opening round of the 2020 NCAA Tournament.
The Pirates scored a goal in each of their first nine matches of this season, doing so for the first time since 1999 when they scored in their first 11 matches.
The win over Oregon State on Sep. 2 was the Pirates' first over a top-10 team in the United Soccer Coaches rankings since beating No. 2 Georgetown to win the BIG EAST title on Apr. 17, 2021. The win also marked the first time Seton Hall has defeated a top-10 non-conference foe since winning at No. 3 Virginia in the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
The Pirates conceded just one goal through its first three matches of the season, the program's best defensive start to a season since 2005.