South Orange, N.J. – The Pirates locked up a BIG EAST Tournament berth on Saturday afternoon thanks to a 1-0 victory over Providence at Owen T. Carroll Fie...
shupirates.com
Boote's Senior Day Goal Sends Pirates to BIG EAST Tournament
Box
SHU 1 PC 0 MSOC BOX 10.28
shupirates.com
South Orange, N.J. – The Pirates locked up a BIG EAST Tournament berth on Saturday afternoon thanks to a 1-0 victory over Providence at Owen T. Carroll Field.
James Boote (Southampton, England) scored the game-winner in the 70th minute to help the Pirates capture the No. 8 seed in the tournament bracket.
How it Happened
Defense ruled the first 45 minutes, a half which saw the Pirates forced to defend the bulk of the time. Neither side were able to develop any dangerous scoring chances in the opening half, and the Friars took a 7-1 shot advantage into halftime.
The match began to open up in the second half, with the Pirates looking to build more dangerous looks at goal. After an
Andrea Borg (Sliema, Malta) shot that forced Providence goalkeeper Lukas Burns to make a diving save on, the Pirates seemed to have found their offensive footing.
That momentum would pay off in the 70th minute. Seton Hall built a counter-attack led by Borg charging up the near sideline. Burns came well off his line to attempt to dispossess Borg in open space, but Borg was able to chip one into the middle of the box with the Friars' keeper out of position.
Hugo Gerbore (Moelan Sur Mer, France) tapped a pass back to the top of the box, where Boote laced one into the back of the net.
After the go-ahead goal, the Pirates put the clamps down defensively for the final 20 minutes. Providence fired three shots on target down the stretch of the match, each being stopped by
Mats Roorda (Groningen, Netherlands). The second of those three shots, in the 84th minute, looked at first as if it was the equalizer until Roorda lunged to his left to deflect it out of play.
News & Notes
- The Pirates qualify for the BIG EAST Tournament for the second consecutive season.
- This marks the first time that the Pirates have reached the BIG EAST Tournament in consecutive seasons since qualifying in 14 straight years from 1994-2007.
- Boote's goal is his sixth of the season to break a tie with Borg for the team lead.
- Boote and Borg each appeared in their 81st career match at Seton Hall, putting them in a tie for second most in program history.
- Before the game, the Pirates recognized seven seniors on Senior Day: Boote, Borg, Pierce Enxuto (Simsbury, Conn.), Hugo Keller (Sweden), Tomas Nunez (Longchamps, Argentina), Roorda and Mark Walier (Holmdel, N.J.).
Up Next
The Pirates will travel to Washington, D.C. to face No. 1 seed Georgetown on Saturday at 12 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Tournament.