Men's Soccer Battles No. 12 Virginia to 1-1 Draw

Friday, September 2

Charlottesville, VA

7:30 p.m.

Xavier University

1-1-1

No. 12/13/17 Virginia

1-0-1

OT 1

OT 2

Xavier

Virginia

Men's Soccer Battles No. 12 Virginia to 1-1 Draw

09.02.16 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)

Matt Vasquenza put the Musketeers up with a 58th minute strike

By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletics Communication

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Xavier men's soccer gave No. 12 Virginia all it could handle Friday night, striking first at Klöckner Stadium before settling for a 1-1 draw after narrowly missing a couple go-ahead chances in both overtimes.

With the result, the Musketeers moved to 1-1-1 on the young season, while Virginia went to 1-0-1.

After Matt Vasquenza put XU up 1-0 in the 58th minute, Virginia quickly responded in what was a back-and-forth showdown all night.

Virginia goalkeeper Jeff Caldwell had a brilliant night in net, saving six shots and erasing two potential game-winners for the Musketeers. In the first overtime, he leapt and made a one-armed, diving save on a shot attempt by Jalen Brown.

In the second overtime, he came up huge again with a short-range stop against Majed Osman.

HOW THEY SCORED

• 58' | Xavier | Matt Vasquenza received a pass from Walker Andriot and went far post from about 12 yards out, giving Xavier a 1-0 lead.
• 62' | Virginia | Leon Maric buried a rebound shot off the crossbar. Victor Falck was credited with an assist on the sequence.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

NOTABLE

• Matt Vasquenza's goal was his first of the season and 13th of his career.
• Walker Andriot's assist was his first of the season and third of his career.
• Jake Ciricillo started in goal and tied a career-high with five saves.
• Jalen Brown led XU in shots with four, putting two on frame. Matt Vasquenza was second on the team with three shots, while Derrick Otim and Walker Andriot added two apiece.
• Virginia outshot Xavier 18-14 overall, but the Musketeers held a 5-2 edge in chances during the two overtimes.
• UVa dominated corner opportunities 16-4, but was unable to break through XU's defense on a set piece.
• Virginia was the 21st NSCAA-ranked opponent XU has faced since 2010. The Musketeers are now 8-9-4 against ranked teams in the last six-plus seasons.
• Xavier moved to 17-8-4 (.655) since 2010 following a loss.
• The all-time series between Virginia and Xavier is now tied at 0-0-2. The only previous meeting before tonight was also a 1-1 tie in Charlottesville, Va. back in 2012.
• It was the first overtime contest for XU in 2016. Last season, the Musketeers went 2-1-1 in OT.
• One of college soccer's mainstays, Virginia has won two NCAA Championships in the last seven years and advanced to 35 straight NCAA Tournaments.

QUOTABLE

"What a great college soccer game. A game that, in my opinion, was pretty even and in the final stanzas really went up and down. I thought our guys dug in and outlasted a team that was able to use a lot more minutes from their bench and we put in a Top 25-level performance. At this juncture of the season, that's as important as the result. I thought our goalkeeper, backline and back of the midfield were very strong, as were our juniors and seniors from an urgency and competitive standpoint. We have some final strides to make defensively, but if you look at the saves and shots, I thought we scared them and bothered them consistently. My experience tells me that this is a strong result for us and will hold up well come NCAA tournament selection time." - Andy Fleming

UP NEXT

• Xavier returns to Cincinnati for a match against Dartmouth on Monday, Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. ET.
• Due to Sunday's inclement weather in the Norwood area, XU Soccer Complex has been rendered temporarily unplayable. It was announced today that the Musketeers will now face Dartmouth at UC's Gettler Stadium.

AMONG THE NATION'S BEST

• Xavier men's soccer has reached the NCAA Tournament in four of the last six seasons.
• The Musketeers finished 2015 at 12-6-1 overall, marking a sixth straight season with at least 10 wins – one of just 12 programs that can claim the feat.
• Last fall also marked Xavier's third straight finish in the top-four of the BIG EAST.
• XU was ranked in the nation's top-10 by the NSCAA for the third time in four years, while knocking of the national No. 1 (Creighton) and No. 2 (Notre Dame) on the road last season. The Musketeers are widely believed to be the first program to ever knock off both a No. 1 and a No. 2 on the road in the same season.