Syracuse University
Seton Hall
SU Hosts Seton Hall In BIG EAST Opener
9/17/2009 8:37:26 AM | Men's Soccer
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Orange (1-4-0) kicks off the BIG EAST Conference portion of its 2009 schedule with a home division cross-over match against Seton Hall (3-2-0) Friday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. in the SU Soccer Stadium. The game marks the first time since 2004 the Pirates will visit Syracuse. Admission to the match is free.
ORANGE HAS WON TWO STRAIGHT LEAGUE OPENERS
Syracuse prevailed in its conference opener for the second consecutive season on Sept. 19, 2008, winning in its first-ever trip to Marquette, 1-0. The Orange also won its conference opener in 2007, defeating Pittsburgh, 2-0, at home. The consecutive wins marks the first time Syracuse has won back-to-back conference starters since it won four straight BIG EAST openers from 1988-91.
ORANGE LEADS BIG EAST IN SHOTS
Syracuse sits atop the BIG EAST in shots this season with 74 in five games, an average of 14.8 per contest. The Orange recorded 21 attempts at the goal against Loyola (Md.) and 17 versus Bucknell in its two Mayor's Cup matches. Senior Tom Perevegyencev leads the league with 20 shots on the year. He is averaging five attempts per game. In addition, classmate Hansen Woodruff lists third in the conference in shots. He has 17 on the season and leads the Orange with three goals. Woodruff's .176 shooting percentage is second on the team.
JONES SECOND IN THE LEAGUE IN SAVES
Redshirt freshman goalie Ryan Jones ranks second in the BIG EAST in both saves and saves per game. Jones has 25 stops in four games this season, good for an average of 6.25 saves per contest. Jones trails Seton Hall's Paul McHenry in total saves (27) and is behind Cincinnati's Matt Williams in saves per game (6.33). Jones has made at least three saves in all four games he's played including, a season-best 12 in his first start at Colgate on Sept. 7.
CHAMNEY RETURNS TO STARTING LINEUP
Senior defender Brien Chamney made his first start of the season in SU's second match of the Mayor's Cup on Sept. 13 against Bucknell. Chamney played the entire match after coming off the bench in Syracuse's match against Loyola (Md.) on Sept. 11. Chamney missed SU's first three games due to injury. Prior to this season, he had started 35 straight games for the Orange dating back to his first season in 2007 and helped anchor and Orange defense that posted a 1.01 goals-against average in 2008, the seventh-best mark in school history.
SCOUTING SETON HALL
The Pirates enter BIG EAST play on a two-game winning streak after having defeated VCU (2-0) on Sept. 11 and Stony Brook (3-2) on Sept. 13. Overall, Seton Hall is 3-2-0 on the year. The Pirates boast one of the top offenses in the conference. They rank third in the league in points (28) and are tied for third in goals (10).
Junior forward Andrew Welker leads the BIG EAST with five goals and 11 points. Welker tallied all three goals in the Pirates' win against Stony Brook to earn conference honor roll honors on Sept. 14. In addition to Welker, Dritan Sela and Steven Rose have supplied most of the offense for the Pirates. Both players have two goals apiece and Sela is second on the squad with six points. In the middle third, preseason All-BIG EAST pick Brayan Martinez has two assists from his midfield spot.
Defensively, Paul McHenry has played all 450 minutes in goal for the Pirates this season. He leads the BIG EAST with 27 saves and earned the shutout last weekend versus VCU.
Head coach Manny Schellscheidt is 224-147-42 in 22 seasons at the Pirates' helm. Schellscheidt has guided Seton Hall to a pair of BIG EAST titles, nine NCAA Tournament berths, and seven conference championship game appearances.
SYRACUSE-SETON HALL SERIES
The Pirates hold a 14-4-3 lead in the all-time series, including a 1-0 win against the Orange in the 1986 BIG EAST Championship game. The Orange won the most recent pairing, 2-1, in a neutral-site matchup at the 2007 Mayor's Cup hosted by Hartwick College.
