Rivalry Renewed as No. 22 Seton Hall Visits Rutgers Monday Night - Seton Hall University Athletics
South Orange, N.J. - The No. 22 ranked Seton Hall men's soccer team will clash with in-state rival Rutgers Monday night at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, N.J. I...
South Orange, N.J. - The No. 22 ranked Seton Hall men's soccer team will clash with in-state rival Rutgers Monday night at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, N.J. In addition to trying to take down the rival Scarlet Knights for the first time 2007, the Pirates are also looking for their first 5-0-0 start 1986.
The match at Yurcak Field is free for all to attend, and the match will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus, which requires a subscription.
MOVING UP IN THE RANKINGS
- Seton Hall is currently ranked No. 22 in the United Soccer Coaches top-25, which was last released on Sept. 3. When the next poll comes out on Sept. 10, it will only reflect match results through Sunday, Sept. 8.
- In head coach Andreas Lindberg's tenure, Seton Hall appeared in the United Soccer Coaches top-25 seven times during the 2020 season, reaching as high as No. 6. Then Seton Hall spent four weeks in the national rankings during 2021.
- The Pirates are one of two BIG EAST teams in the current top-25, joining No. 14 Georgetown.
- Last Friday night, the Pirates won a physical battle with Columbia, and got timely goals and defense in a 2-0 victory at Owen T. Carroll Field.
- Thomas Sellwood (Sao Paulo, Brazil) scored his first career goal on assists from Rikard Cederberg and Jack Kossoudji in the 32nd minute as the Pirates went up 1-0.
- The lead held up thanks in large part to seven saves from goalkeeper Soren Jensen, who notched his first career Div. I shutout.
- Sam Bjork notched a goal in the 82nd minute to put the match away.
- The Pirates are looking to defeat a Big Ten team for the second consecutive season. In 2023, the Pirates blanked Ohio State, 1-0, in a match that took place in Bloomington, Ind.
- Three days after beating Ohio State, the Pirates dropped a 1-0 decision to then-10th ranked Indiana.
- Seton Hall is 1-2-0 against the Big Ten in Lindberg's tenure; the other loss was also to Indiana in the quarterfinals of the 2020 NCAA Championship.
- Seton Hall's last true road win over a Big Ten team came Sept. 8, 1995, a 2-1 victory at No. 12 Penn State.
SCOUTING RUTGERS
- The Scarlet Knights are 3-2-0 to start the season with four of the five matches having two or more goal differentials.
- Rutgers opened the year with three straight home matches, defeating Northeastern, losing to Delaware and beating Princeton.
- Rutgers was picked ninth in the Big Ten preseason coaches poll after finishing eighth last season.
- The Scarlet Knights are only two seasons removed from winning the Big Ten Tournament and advancing to the NCAA Tournament, which occurred in 2022.
- This is the first matchup between Seton Hall and Rutgers since 2009, an incredible feat considering only about 30 miles separate the two campuses. The two teams were in the BIG EAST Conference together between 1995 and 2012, and did not face each other in 2010, 2011 and 2012 as a result of the conference's divisional split.
- Rutgers leads the all-time series, 36-16-5, and while the two programs were in BIG EAST together, Rutgers leads the series 10-5-2.
- Seton Hall's last win over Rutgers came on Sept. 30, 2007, a 4-1 victory at Owen T. Carroll Field. The last time the Pirates won at Rutgers was Sept. 15, 2006, a 1-0 triumph. Seton Hall has seven all-time wins in Piscataway.
- The last time Seton Hall was ranked when it faced Rutgers was Sept. 23, 2005 when it was No. 18 and defeated the Scarlet Knights, 2-1. That match took place in Newark on NJIT's campus due to Owen T. Carroll Field renovations.
OPENING SUCCESS
- With its win at FIU, Seton Hall has now won its season opener under head coach Andreas Lindberg for the fifth time in seven tries, and the Pirates are unbeaten in all seven (5-0-2).
- With their win over UAlbany, the Pirates are also now 5-0-2 in their home openers under Lindberg and have not lost a home opener since 2016.
