No. 21 Pirates Continue BIG EAST Play at Villanova

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – No. 21 Seton Hall men's soccer (5-2-4, 2-0-1 BIG EAST) will look continue its undefeated run in BIG EAST play on Saturday when the team travels to Villanova, Pa., to face off against the Villanova Wildcats (4-3-3, 1-1-1 BIG EAST) at the Higgins Soccer Complex. Match time is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

LAST TIME OUT

After being ranked earlier that day, the No. 21 Pirates hosted FIU in another non-conference clash.
Despite entering the game riding high on their ranking earlier in the day, the Pirates found themselves on the back foot in the opening ten minutes of this clash. However, in a ten-minute span, Joseph Min, Sam Bjork and Thomas Sellwood each collected a goal in the first half, allowing the Pirates to leap out to an early 3-0 lead heading into halftime.

SAM BJORK MAKES IT A GOAL-APALOOZA IN SOUTH ORANGE 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️ #HALLin🔵⚪️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/kz6X4owYm7
— Seton Hall Men's Soccer (@SHUMSOC) October 7, 2025

In the second half, the Pirates would launch another ten-minute onslaught in which Giacomo Mana and Mans Saebbo added goals to make it a 5-0 game. In the dying stages with a rotated defense, Matias Molina and the Pirates held strong, preserving the shutout and dominant victory.

ANDIAMO GIACOMO!

Mana collects his FIRST collegiate goal as the Pirates pour it on in South Orange! #HALLin🔵⚪️⚽️| 🏴‍☠️x🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/kxl2UiXH4L
— Seton Hall Men's Soccer (@SHUMSOC) October 8, 2025

The last time Seton Hall scored five or more goals was a 6-0 win over Central Connecticut State on August 30, 2019.
- The Pirates have now scored five or more goals twice during the Lindberg era.
That was the first time the Pirates have registered five different goal scorers in a match since The Hall's 5-4 (2OT) victory over Delaware on September 10, 2013.

SCOUTING VILLANOVA

Villanova is 4-4-3 on the season, with a 1-1-1 record in BIG EAST play, suffering a 5-0 loss at Providence last week.
- Their lone win so far this season, however, is a 2-1 road win over UConn.
The Wildcats entered the season picked to finish sixth in the BIG EAST East Division with 16 points, the lowest of any BIG EAST team in either division.
Since opening their season 2-0-1 with a +6 goal differential, Villanova has gone 2-4-2 with a -11 goal differential.
- This includes a 5-0 loss to Providence and 3-0 losses to Penn and Princeton.
- Also, during that span, they have scored in only five of those eight games.
Villanova is led offensively by Sam Nyenka and Michal teDuits. Nyenka leads the team with three goals, while teDuits leads in assists (3) and is tied for the lead in shots (18).
The Wildcats' lead goalkeeper, Alex Yagudayev, has started seven games this season, recording a 1.57 GAA and 22 saves on 106 shots faced.

SERIES HISTORY

This will be the 42nd all-time matchup against Villanova, with the first meeting occurring in 1984.
The Pirates hold a 23-16-2 record against the Wildcats.
- The Pirates are 3-1-1 against them in their last five meetings.
- Head Coach Andreas Lindberg holds a 3-3-1 record against Villanova.
Last season, the Pirates celebrated a 1-0 win over the Wildcats at home on Senior Day.