SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The SU men's soccer team (7-2-0, 1-0-0 BIG EAST) kicked off BIG EAST play with a 1-0 victory against Seton Hall (4-5-0, 0-1-0 BIG EAST) at the SU Soccer Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 22. Freshman Jordan Vale scored the match's only goal, while redshirt freshman goaltender Andrew Coughlin made six saves in his first career start to earn the shutout.

"It's good to get some points (in the conference) on the board," SU head coach Ian McIntyre said. "We unfortunately haven't done that in the past few years. These cross-over games are very important. To get a good start and to get some points is good, but we're still a long ways away. We've got some tired bodies tonight, but a happy group of guys. "

Syracuse dominated Seton Hall offensively throughout the match, outshooting the Pirates 20-6 and holding a 15-6 margin in shots on goal.

Early in the match, the Orange nearly went ahead 1-0 on a goal by Jordan Murrell, but it was waved off by the official for a handball. It was a merely a brief reprieve for the Pirates because Vale recorded his fourth goal of the season in the 26th minute. Vale's goal was a header off of a pass from senior Ted Cribley on a corner play.

The tally was all the Orange needed as the Pirates attempted only five shots in the second half. All were on goal, but Coughlin and the rest of SU defense was up to the challenge.

Cribley once again turned in a quality performance. In addition to assisting on the game's only goal, he came close to scoring twice, bouncing two shots off the post.

Kai Greene led the Pirates with two shots. Seton Hall goalkeeper Michael Kuzan made 14 saves, including 10 in the second half, to help keep the Pirates within striking distance of the Orange.

"It's a grind, the BIG EAST schedule," McIntyre said. "We'll put it to bed for a couple of days and we'll get ready for UMass and then we open it again with an away trip against Cincinnati."

Syracuse faces Massachusetts on Tuesday, Sept. 25 at Rudd Field in its last non-conference game of the season. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m.

Match Notes: Coughlin started in place of rookie Alex Bono who received a red card last weekend versus Cal State Fullerton, and per NCAA rules, had to sit out against the Pirates ... The Orange has seven shutouts in its first nine outings ... SU has won two of its last three games against Seton Hall ... The Orange won its BIG EAST opener for the first time since 2008.

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