Xavier University Athletics
Musketeers Open 2011 Season Against No. 12 Notre Dame
08.15.11 | Men's Soccer
Aug. 15, 2011
CINCINNATI -The Xavier men's soccer team opens the 2011 season and the Atlantic 10 title defense Tuesday against No. 12 Notre Dame in a friendly at the Xavier University Soccer Complex.
Kickoff for the exhibition is set for 7 p.m. for the two 2010 NCAA Tournament participants. Tickets for the exhibition are $5 for adults and $3 for youth (17 and under).
Despite opening camp on Monday and having one day to prepare for the nationally-ranked Fighting Irish, second-year head coach Andy Flemingwill not change his approach for Tuesday's game.
"We're playing this game to get better, learn lessons, and with a big picture mentality," Fleming said. "I certainly think that if you weigh a practice against playing Notre Dame, we will certainly get out of it what we need. I think our guys are ready to rise to the occasion and meet some of the demands that are required when playing a team like this."
The Musketeers' 2010 season ended with several program firsts, including the first Atlantic 10 Championship and berth in the NCAA Tournament. Xavier's record-breaking season included new marks for shutouts, goals against average and the nation's biggest turnaround.
Fleming's squad returns seven starters including preseason conference selection junior forward Luke Spencer and the 2010 A-10 Most Outstanding Player junior goalkeeper Justin Marshall. Spencer netted 14 points (5 g, 4a) despite missing eight games with a foot injury and Marshall set new single-season records for shutouts (9) and goals against average (0.92).
Also returning is the entire backline for the Musketeers that logged over 6,440 combined minutes on the pitch and gave up only 20 goals on the season. Anchoring the defense will be juniors Sean Ryan and James Queree, who will have help from two talented underclassmen Adar Cohen and Nick Hagglund.
Notre Dame's core lies within its two All-BIG EAST Second-team selections senior Aaron Maund and junior Dillon Powers. The Fighting Irish finished 10-6-4 and 6-2-1 in conference play and received a bye in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Dartmouth in overtime.
This marks the second-straight season that the Musketeers will face a nationally ranked opponent during its exhibition season. Last year Xavier went on the road to beat No. 20 Indiana, 2-1.
