Men's Soccer Welcomes Dartmouth for Monday Night Showdown at UC

Monday, September 5

Gettler Stadium (University of Cincinnati)

7 p.m.

Xavier University

No. RV/24/16 Dartmouth

Men's Soccer Welcomes Dartmouth for Monday Night Showdown at UC

09.04.16 | Men's Soccer

Musketeers will be playing at UC's Gettler Stadium due to field issues at XU Soccer Complex

By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletics Communication

CINCINNATI – Xavier men's soccer looks to build on an impressive road result on Monday night as Dartmouth comes to town for a 7 p.m. kickoff at UC's Gettler Stadium.

The Musketeers, who tied No. 12 Virginia 1-1 on the road on Friday, have put together one of the most potent offenses in the BIG EAST Conference thus far, leading the league with 50 shots in three matches and averaging over 16 attempts per game.

Dartmouth opened its season on Friday night at No. 17 Kentucky, battling to a 1-1 tie in Lexington, Ky.

THE MATCHUP

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (1-1-1) vs. DARTMOUTH BIG GREEN (0-0-1)
Match Info: Monday, Sept. 5 – 7:00 p.m. – Gettler Stadium
Live Stats: http://bit.ly/1JpmFPO
Live Video: http://bit.ly/2bMcpGy
• GoXavier.com Broadcast by Mike Schmaltz and Rich Hidy

ABOUT DARTMOUTH

2015 Record: 12-6-1, 6-1 Ivy
Postseason: Ivy League Champions, NCAA Tournament Second Round
• Monday's meeting will be the first-ever match between the two programs.
• Head coach Chad Riley is entering his fourth season at the helm of the Dartmouth program in 2016. Last year, he led the Big Green to a second straight Ivy League Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance.
• Dartmouth relied on a sturdy defense last season, allowing just 13 goals in 19 matches– the fewest of any Ancient Eight team in 2015.

VENUE CHANGE

• Xavier men's soccer announced a venue change for Monday night's match against Dartmouth. The game is now being played at the University of Cincinnati's Gettler Stadium
• The Xavier Soccer Complex is temporarily unplayable due to last Sunday night's inclement weather in and around the Norwood area, which caused severe flooding in certain sections of campus and surrounding areas.
• Admission to Monday's game is free and fans are encouraged to park in the Calhoun Garage, adjacent to Gettler Stadium.
• Parking is $5 per car and fans are advised to enter through Calhoun Street and not Corry Blvd.
• FC Cincinnati is playing a home match at Nippert Stadium at 4:30 p.m. as well. Fans are advised to arrive early due to likely congestion in the Clifton area.

LAST TIME OUT

• Friday's match was the first overtime contest for XU in 2016. In 2015, the Musketeers went 2-1-1 in OT.
• Matt Vasquenza scored his first goal of the season in the 58th minute, giving XU a short-lived 1-0 lead. It was the junior striker's 13th career tally. Walker Andriot assisted on the goal, recording his first helper of the year.
• Jake Ciricillo started in net and tied a career-high with five saves. The senior keeper now has a 1-0-1 record and a 0.90 GAA on the year, while making five saves in each of his starts.
• Virginia outshot Xavier 18-14 overall, but the Musketeers held a 5-2 edge in chances during the two overtimes.

XAVIER AGAINST THE BEST

• Friday's opponent, No. 12 Virginia, was the 21st ranked opponent XU has faced in the last six-plus seasons.
• Since 2010, Xavier now boasts an 8-9-4 overall record against ranked opposition.
• The Musketeers are an incredible 6-2-1 against the Top-10, including wins at No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 1 Creighton last fall. In 2014, the Musketeers also claimed victories against No. 5 Indiana and No. 8 Georgetown.

XAVIER MEN'S SOCCER VS. THE NSCAA TOP 25 (SINCE 2010)
Home: 1-1-2 | Away: 3-4-1 | Neutral: 4-4-1

DATE	LOCATION	OPPONENT	RESULT
Nov. 13, 2010	Charlotte, N.C. (N)	#15 Charlotte	T, 0-0 (PK Win) *
Sept. 16, 2011	Evanston, Ill. (N)	#13 Northern Illinois	W, 1-0
Oct. 28, 2011	Charlotte, N.C. (A)	#16 Charlotte	L, 1-0
Nov. 10, 2011	St. Louis, Mo. (N)	#8 Charlotte	W, 2-1 (OT) *
Aug. 25, 2012	Cincinnati, Ohio (H)	#20 Northwestern	T, 1-1 (2OT)
Nov. 9, 2012	Charlotte, N.C. (N)	#25 Saint Louis	L, 1-0 *
Oct. 5, 2013	Omaha, Neb. (A)	#4 Creighton	L, 2-0
Oct. 12, 2013	Cincinnati, Ohio (H)	#9 Georgetown	W, 2-0
Aug. 31, 2014	Madison, Wis. (A)	#21 Wisconsin	L, 4-0
Oct. 18, 2014	Cincinnati, Ohio (H)	#6 Creighton	T, 1-1
Oct. 25, 2014	Milwaukee, Wis. (A)	#15 Marquette	W, 1-0
Oct. 29, 2014	Washington, D.C. (A)	#13 Georgetown	L, 1-0
Nov. 14, 2014	Philadelphia, Pa. (N)	#8 Georgetown	W, 1-0 ^
Nov. 16, 2014	Philadelphia, Pa. (N)	#23 Providence	L, 2-1 ^
Nov. 23, 2014	Bloomington, Ind. (N)	#5 Indiana	W, 2-1 %
Nov. 30, 2014	Omaha, Neb. (N)	#9 Creighton	L, 2-1 %
Sept. 15, 2015	South Bend, Ind. (A)	#2 Notre Dame	W, 1-0
Oct. 3, 2015	Cincinnati, Ohio (H)	#16 Georgetown	L, 1-0
Oct. 28, 2015	Omaha, Neb. (A)	#1 Creighton	W, 2-1
Nov. 12, 2015	Washington, D.C. (N)	#16 Georgetown	L, 1-0
Sept. 2, 2016	Charlottesville, Va. (A)	#12 Virginia	T, 1-1 (2OT)

POSTSEASON LEGEND
* Atlantic 10 Tournament
^ BIG EAST Tournament
% NCAA Tournament

GETTING UP OFF THE MAT

• Xavier men's soccer has consistently responded well after losses under Andy Fleming.
• Since 2010, XU has compiled a record of 17-8-4 (.655) after a loss.

YEAR	RECORD AFTER LOSS
2010	3-2-1
2011	3-0-1
2012	2-0-0
2013	3-3-0
2014	4-1-0
2015	2-2-1
2016	0-0-1
7 Seasons	17-8-4 (.655)

XU PICKED FOURTH IN BIG EAST

• The Musketeers were picked to finish fourth in the league's annual coaches poll, coming in behind two preseason top-10 teams in Creighton and Georgetown. XU also received a first-place vote in the poll for the first time.
• Matt Vasquenza and Cory Brown were both selected to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, as Brown was named the BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
• The prediction ties the highest for XU since entering the league in 2013. XU was picked fourth last season, seventh in 2014 and fifth in 2013.
• XU lived up to its prediction last season, finishing fourth in the league at 5-3-1. The Musketeers have been inside the top-four in each of its first three seasons in the BIG EAST.
• In the last three years, Xavier has gone 17-7-3 (.685) overall in league play.

WHAT'S BACK

• Xavier returns 16 players, including eight starters, from last season's 12-win team.
• The roster consists of 10 freshmen, seven sophomores, six juniors and four seniors.
• Four of Xavier's top five offensive options are back, as returners Jalen Brown, Matt Vasquenza, Majed Osman and Walker Andriot took a combined 122 shots in 2015. Those four players accounted for 53 percent of Xavier's 229 total shots in 2015.
• XU's typically-balanced offense saw 12 players record an assist or score a goal last season. Eight of the goal-scorers return in 2016, while nine players return who contributed an assist.
• The senior class of Jalen Brown, Todd Pratzner, Jake Ciricillo, Walker Andriot and Majed Osman have helped XU to a 38-20-5 (.643) record since 2013.
• The Musketeers return 52 percent of their goal-scoring (15-of-29) and 56 percent of their points (44-of-78).

HOLES TO FILL

• XU is holding auditions to replace a BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year for the second straight season after losing Dallas Jaye (13 GS, 0.63 GAA) to graduation. Jaye succeeded 2014 BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year Eric Osswald.
• Leading scorer Alex Ridsdale (8g, 1a) was also lost to graduation.
• A key piece in the midfield, Kyle Martin graduated after starting 47 matches since 2013.
• Right back Chris Moore also graduated after making 58 career starts since 2013.
• The 2015 senior class of Dallas Jaye, Vince Shaw, Alex Ridsdale, Calum Latham, Kyle Martin, Rhodes Moore and Chris Moore left Xavier with 51 wins – tied for the most by any graduating group.
• In addition to player turnover, XU has an entirely new look on the sidelines with Ernie Yarborough, Garrett McLaughlin, Chris Black and Cam Olson all beginning their first year with the program. Former assistants John Michael Hayden (Louisville) and Charles Rodriguez (Stanford) took new jobs in the collegiate ranks, while goalkeeper coach Jamie Starr (FC Cincinnati) and Director of Operations Luke Spencer (FC Cincinnati) joined the USL.

CORY BROWN COLLECTING HONORS

• For a second straight preseason, Cory Brown has racked up an impressive collection of preseason honors. The junior from Nelson, New Zealand is considered one of the best defenders in college soccer and was on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List as a sophomore.

2016 PRESEASON HONORS FOR BROWN:
• BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
• Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
• College Soccer News Preseason All-America Second Team
• Top Drawer Soccer Men's Preseason Best XI Third Team

PRESEASON WRAP

• Xavier posted a 1-1 record in a pair of exhibitions, defeating the 2015 NAIA National Champs, Rio Grande (OH), 2-0 at home and falling 3-1 at No. 4 Maryland.
• Jalen Brown (2g) scored unassisted in both matches for the Musketeers and could be primed for a big season after leading XU in shots in 2015.

HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?

• Xavier goalkeepers have set program records for goals against average in three straight seasons.
• In 2013, Eric Osswald began the trend with a mark of 0.82. He lowered his own record to 0.74 in 2014, posting a program-best 11 shutouts and earning BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year honors. Last season, Dallas Jaye continued the run with an impressive 0.63 GAA and a BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year award.

AMONG THE NATION'S ELITE

· 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.