Pirate Spotlight: Elliot Munford

Date: September 19, 2017

By: Angelo Maltese

Coming into a season with a lot of questions on who would be in goal following the departure of Julian Spindler, it has been the fresh face of Elliot Munford that has shined in his first games as a Seton Hall Pirate.

Munford, a freshman from Auckland, New Zealand, has caught the eyes of many Seton Hall soccer fans with his recent play in net. After making his debut at Stony Brook, the Pirates are 3-1 with Munford in net. The freshman's recent run of good form was rewarded as the Big East Conference named Munford the Freshman of the Week on September 11. This came after a week in which the Pirates went 3-0-0 as the New Zealand native made 10 saves, including a clean sheet against Sacred Heart. Munford was truly humbled after achieving this recognition.

"I am still trying to establish myself within my team and the conference," Munford said, "It feels good to get my name out there [after winning the BE Freshman of the Week]."

Munford is one of five goalkeepers on the Seton Hall men's soccer squad. And although he is just a freshman, Elliot boasts an impressive soccer resume before his time in South Orange. He has spent time playing at the international level, appearing for the New Zealand U17 team in 2015 and the U20 team national team earlier this year. For Elliot, it was the experience at this level where he learned valuable insights on getting the best out of his game.

"The team and fixtures set the tone for where I need to go, and what standard I need to reach to play at that high level," Munford said. "It was good to just have that standard to aspire to."

Munford's hot start in net is a breath of fresh air for Pirates fans as he looks more than comfortable in a position that had so many question marks coming in to this season. With the bulk of the conference season ahead of them, Munford was keen on the Pirates keeping a steady ship.

"We can't get complacent," Munford said. "It is important to keep working hard going forward, especially with the Big East schedule upon us."

Elliot's favorite professional soccer club is the defending English Premier League Champions, Chelsea F.C. Munford is rooting on the "Blues" as they try to make it out of a tough "Group C" draw in the UEFA Champions League. And much like most of his fellow Seton Hall Pirates, his favorite spot on campus is the Rec Center.

Munford and his Pirate teammates look to produce out on the pitch as Big East play gets underway.

 

Angelo Maltese is the Staff Representative at 89.5 FM WSOU. He can be reached by e-mail at angelomaltese21@gmail.com and can be found on Twitter @Amalt_21.

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