Preview: Pirates Face No. 1 Georgetown in Big East Title Rematch

Date: October 5, 2021

By: Ryan Johnston

CJ Tibbling and the Seton Hall men's soccer team stands on the field during a game.

Seton Hall Athletics

The Seton Hall men’s soccer team will be taking on the Georgetown Hoyas Wednesday night at Owen T. Carroll Field.

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No. 1 Georgetown on @FS1 #HALLin ⚪️ | @SetonHall @hallstudents pic.twitter.com/WqKOBRK74B
— Seton Hall Men's Soccer (@SHUMSOC) October 4, 2021

The Pirates are looking to bounce back after a three-game skid that has left them at 4-2-3 on the year. As a result, they have fallen out of the top-25 in the nation, only receiving nine votes for the list.

Georgetown, on the other hand, comes into this matchup on fire. The Hoyas are 8-0, and the No. 1 team in the nation coming into this matchup, with wins over multiple top-25 ranked opponents on the season.

Seton Hall's Johannes Pex kicks the soccer ball during a game.

Seton Hall Athletics

The Pirates come back to Big East play after going to the Bronx, N.Y. to take on Fordham, which was a game they lost 3-2 in overtime. Fordham went up 2-0 early in the match. Johannes Pex buried two penalty kicks to bring the Pirates back into the game, but it was ultimately not enough. The Rams put the ball in the back of the net off a cross to seal the game.

Look for CJ Tibbling to get some momentum going in this game. He’s been quiet to start out the year, but if last year was any indication, he can get hot at any given time. Also watch out for Pex. Interestingly enough, the right back has been the go-to-option on offense for the Pirates, tallying five goals and five assists on the year so far.

Seton Hall's CJ Tibbling gets fired up during a soccer game.

Seton Hall Athletics

The defense for the Pirates also needs to improve the most coming into this matchup. They’re letting in more than two goals-per-game, compared to just one goal-per-game last season. It’s looked a little lethargic at times, and this is something that cannot happen if the Pirates want to win against Georgetown.

Georgetown has looked almost unstoppable this year. They’ve won against eighth ranked Maryland and 25^th ranked Santa Clara earlier this year.

Georgetown's Stefan Stojanovic attempts to kick a ball during a game.

SoccerWire.com

For the Hoyas, watch for Stefan Stojanovic, who has five goals on a staggering 35% shot completion rate. Also look out for Dante Polvara, who was the Hoyas’ leading goal scorer last season and currently has three goals and three assists on the year.

These two teams have history, too. Last year, Seton Hall beat Georgetown 2-1 to win their first Big East title in decades. There is no doubt the Hoyas will be looking for revenge.

It’ll be a tall task for the Pirates, but history is on their side. Be sure to tune into wsou.net to catch all the action from Michael Daly and Heaven Hill at 7 p.m.

Ryan Johnston can be reached at ryan.johnston@student.shu.edu.

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