Owen T. Carroll Field has been friendly to the Seton Hall men’s soccer team since Andreas Lindberg took over in 2018.
Under Lindberg’s leadership, the Pirates have consistently defended their home pitch – something that was lacking before Lindberg arrived from LIU Post. From 2016-17 under coach Gerson Echeverry, Seton Hall went 7-7-3 playing in South Orange. With Lindberg calling the shots, that record has flipped in the Pirates’ favor.
After going 2-3-1 at home in 2018, Seton Hall has won all three of its home games so far this season. In a conference like the Big East where every game is a dog fight, winning at home can be the difference between a conference tournament berth and an early end to the season.
The Pirates know this all too well, as they dropped a crucial fixture to Xavier at home to close out last season, knocking them out of Big East Tournament contention.
Seton Hall has taken the proper steps to ensure that kind of loss does not occur again on its brand-new home turf. The Pirates throttled DePaul at home to christen their new field before knocking off defending Big East champion Creighton and A-10 contender Fordham on Tuesday night.
The Creighton win was a crucial one for the Pirates, as they proved to the conference that they can compete with anyone – especially when the game is being played on their home field.
“If we play like that, like a team, we can beat anybody,” Lindberg said after the game. “I’m not saying we’re a top team, but when we pay like that, we can certainly give everybody a run for their money.”
The Pirates have also been statistically superior at home so far this season. In three home games, Seton Hall has registered six goals and 20 shots on goal. In five road games, the Pirates have amassed 22 shots on goal, with only five of those shots finding the back of the net.
Armed with a new field, a rejuvenated group of supporters and plenty of talent, Seton Hall has the makings of a team that could qualify for the Big East Tournament for the first time since 2007. As long as they continue to take advantage of their home field, the Pirates will be in good shape moving forward.
Tyler Calvaruso can be reached at tyler.calvaruso@student.shu.edu. Find him on Twitter @tyler_calvaruso.
