Seton Hall
Game Preview: Seton Hall hosts Marquette in a pivotal match up on Sunday
Date: October 12, 2019By: Heaven Hill
After a rough performance where they were dominated by the Villanova Wildcats on both sides of the ball, the Seton Hall Pirates take on the Marquette Golden Eagles at home in South Orange, NJ on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Against the Wildcats in their last game, the Pirates were thoroughly outclassed from whistle to whistle, notching a goal from junior midfielder Laura Hooper in the 80th minute to avoid being shut out for the fourth straight game. Villanova bested the Hall in shots, 20-5, as well as shots on goal and corner kicks, as they scored an astonishing four goals in the second half.
Simply put, if they want to win against the Golden Eagles, Seton Hall cannot afford to be behind the eight ball at any point in the matchup. The Pirates already struggle to score when the game is nil-nil, but once they go down one goal, then two and so on, we’ve seen Ciara Crinion’s team become frazzled and they unravel, which leads to blowouts like the games against Villanova and Xavier.
This is a team with a new coaching staff, searching for its first win since August 29th, so it can be easy at times for their game plans to get out of control once their backs are against the wall. However, with an adjustment or two, this team can still compete.
Now on the other end, the Marquette Golden Eagles are coming off their biggest win of the season as they came back from down two goals against the St. John’s Red Storm scoring three unanswered goals, including the game winner in the 100th minute from sophomore midfielder Macey Shock.
Marquette hasn’t been the best team this season; in fact, they’ve struggled similarly to the Pirates. However, there is a sizable difference in both talent level and coaching skill, as the Golden Eagles are led by head coach Markus Roeders, entering his 24th year at the helm.
So on one end, there is a team on a six-match losing streak, losing their last two games by a combined score of 10-1, with a coaching staff that’s newly implemented, against a team coming off a nail-biting victory on the road, with one of the best and most experienced head coaches in the conference.
Not to mention, the Marquette Golden Eagles have a 7-1-1 record all time against the Hall, including a current three-game win streak; they embarrassed the Pirates last season 4-0 in the final game of the year for Seton Hall. Add this all up and it sounds like a recipe for disaster for the Pirates, but if Crinion’s players step up in the face of adversity, this can be a close matchup.
So to wrap things up, in order for Seton Hall to win, the Pirates need: 1. Avoid getting behind on the scoreboard; 2. Big performances from impact players like Isabelle Engel and Laura Hooper; 3. Attack the goalie for Marquette, more shots equals more chances to score. If the Hall follows these three keys to victory, then Crinion’s squad can snap the season-long win streak and move onto the next challenge.
The game will take place at Owen T. Carroll Field at 1 p.m. On the call for the game, will be Wilnir Louis and Liam Plate, so be sure to tune in to 89.5 FM WSOU for wall-to-wall coverage of the match.
Heaven Hill can be reached at heaven.hill@student.shu.edu.
