Xavier University Athletics
Saturday, October 31
Cincinnati, Ohio
7 P.M.
Xavier University
vs
Seton Hall
Men's Soccer Back Home for Seton Hall, Senior Night on Saturday
10.29.15 | Men's Soccer
Musketeers will honor a seven-member graduating class on Saturday
CINCINNATI – Xavier men's soccer is back home on Saturday, capping the regular season home schedule at Xavier Soccer Complex with a BIG EAST tilt against Seton Hall. First touch is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.
Family, friends and fans are reminded to arrive early as the Musketeers will honor their seven graduating seniors prior to kickoff.
The match will be broadcast live on BEDN and fans can also follow along with live stats and Twitter updates.
• Xavier is 10-4-1 overall (4-2-1 BIG EAST) and unbeaten in its last four matches, while Seton Hall enters at 0-13-1 and 0-7 in league play.
• Xavier will recognize its seven-member senior class before Saturday's match. That group includes: Dallas Jaye, Vince Shaw, Alex Ridsdale, Calum Latham, Kyle Martin, Rhodes Moore and Chris Moore.
• Coming into Saturday's match, this year's seniors have led XU to a 49-20-10 (.684) mark, five wins against the NSCAA Top 10 and three NCAA Tournament wins.
• With two regular season matches to go, this year's group could challenge the 2014 Musketeer senior class (51 wins, .677 winning percentage) for a program record.
• Seton Hall (0-13-1, 0-7 BIG EAST) is winless on the season, but comes into the match following a strong effort at No. 7 Georgetown.
• The Pirates pushed the Hoyas to brink, taking a 2-1 lead in the 77th minute before ultimately falling, 3-2, in overtime on a Brandon Allen golden goal in the 96th minute.
• SHU's lone result this season came on August 30 in a 1-1 tie against Furman at the College of Charleston Tournament.
• Julian Spindler (9 GP, 2.62 GAA) and Brandon Barnes (6 GP, 2.77 GAA) have split time in goal for SHU, combining for a 2.68 goals allowed average.
• Danny Bartok (4g, 0a) is the leading scorer for the Pirates, while Samuel Geiler (3g, 1a) leads the team in shots (32) and shots on goal (16).
• As a team, Seton Hall has scored 13 goals in 14 matches (0.93 goals per match), including four multi-goal matches. The Pirates have also been shut out five times.
• Seton Hall has shown a tendency to fade in the second half, getting outscored 25-7 after halftime this season.
• The Pirates have been outshot 190-151 this season, including 85-59 in shots on goal.
• Xavier leads the series, 2-0 and has outscored Seton Hall 6-1 in those two matchups.
• The Musketeers took last year's matchup in South Orange, N.J., 3-1, going ahead early in the match, getting a goal from Cory Brown in the 17th minute. After Seton Hall equalized off a set piece, Will Walker buried his third goal of the year on a PK to give XU the lead for good. Matt Vasquenza added a score in the 82nd minute to put the match to bed.
• XU also won 3-0 in the first-ever meeting between the two programs on Oct. 23, 2013 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Three seniors scored for the Musketeers in that match, including John McDermott, Matt Walker and Gino De Paoli.
• The Musketeers hit the road for their regular season finale, visiting Butler on Thursday, Nov. 5 for a 7:00 p.m. ET match.
• It will be the third straight season the two programs end the regular season with each other.
• Xavier knocked off the highest-ranked team in program history in No. 1 Creighton, 2-1, on Wednesday night in Omaha.
• Creighton fell to 15-1 overall and 6-1 in the BIG EAST with the setback after coming into the night as the nation's last remaining unbeaten and untied team.
• Josh Grant put the Musketeers up early with a 14th minute strike, assisted by Majed Osman. The Bluejays were able to answer with a Lucas Stauffer goal in the 32nd, assisted by Fabian Herbers.
• Matt Vasquenza's game-winner came in the 89th, as the sophomore gained control of a deflected ball in the box and buried it from the near side.
• With the win, Xavier improved to 4-2-1 in the BIG EAST and moved into third-place as Butler fell to 4-3 with a loss to DePaul.
• Sophomore forward Matt Vasquenza broke out of a five-match scoring drought with the game-winner in the 95th minute last Saturday against Marquette and followed it up with another in the 89th at No. 1 Creighton. He is now tied for the team lead with five goals.
• Since 2014, Vasquenza is XU's leading scorer with 31 points (12 goals, 7 assists).
• The Musketeers have been at their best away from home this year, putting up a 6-1-1 road record.
• XU's road wins include huge results against No. 1 Creighton (2-1, Oct. 28) and No. 2 Notre Dame (1-0, Sept. 15) in addition to victories against Wisconsin, Cincinnati, DePaul and Villanova.
• Xavier is tied for the second-most road wins in the nation with Rutgers (6-1-1), Rider (6-2-0), SIUE (6-2-1) and Cal St. Northridge (6-2-1).
• Only Akron (7-1-1) has more road wins.
• Under Andy Fleming, the Musketeers are 8-4-2 vs. ranked opponents and a remarkable 6-2-1 against the top-10, including wins at No. 1 Creighton and No. 2 Notre Dame this fall.
• In true road games, XU is 2-2 against top-10 opposition.
• Xavier has picked up the highest-ranked win in program history twice this fall, beating No. 1 Creighton on Oct. 28 in Omaha, Neb and also knocking off No. 2 Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. on Sept. 15.
vs. No. 8 Charlotte in St. Louis, Mo. on Nov. 10, 2011 (W, 2-1 in OT)
vs. No. 9 Georgetown in Cincinnati, Ohio on Oct. 12, 2013 (W, 2-1)
at No. 4 Creighton in Omaha, Neb. on Oct. 5, 2013 (L, 2-0)
vs. No. 6 Creighton in Cincinnati, Ohio on Oct. 18, 2014 (T, 1-1 in 2OT)
vs. No. 8 Georgetown in Philadelphia, Pa. on Nov. 14, 2014 (W, 1-0)
vs. No. 5 Indiana in Bloomington, Ind. on Nov. 23, 2014 (W, 2-1)
at No. 9 Creighton in Omaha, Neb. on Nov. 30, 2014 (L, 2-1)
at No. 2 Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. on Sept. 15, 2015 (W, 1-0)
at No. 1 Creighton in Omaha, Neb. on Oct. 28, 2015 (W, 2-1)
• XU is sixth in the BIG EAST Conference in points (64), fifth in goals (24) and goals per game (1.60).
• The Musketeers' 24 goals through 15 matches are also 59th in the NCAA.
• 17 of Xavier's 23 goals have come after halftime this fall. The Musketeers have outscored opponents 15-5 in the second half.
• Xavier sports a balanced offense with 11 different players scoring goals this season. Nine different Musketeers have registered an assist.
• Senior Alex Ridsdale and sophomore Matt Vasquenza lead XU in scoring, each with five goals and one assist.
• Ridsdale's bicycle kick score against IPFW on Tuesday, Sept. 22 was the No. 6 play on ESPN SportsCenter that night.
• Vasquenza has scored the game-winner in each of the last two matches for Xavier, netting a 96th minute golden goal against Marquette on Saturday, Oct. 24 and then blasting in the game-winner at No. 1 Creighton on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
• The Musketeers have outshot opponents 174-141 overall and 79-59 in shots on goal. Xavier averages 11.6 shots per match and has held opponents to just 9.4 attempts per match.
• Xavier has allowed 12 goals in 15 matches, ranking third in the BIG EAST in GAA (0.77). The Musketeers' team GAA is also 26th in the NCAA.
• Xavier's blanking of Marquette on Saturday was its eighth of the season. In 2014, XU set a program record with 11 clean sheets.
• XU has kept shutouts in six of its last 10 matches and ranks 13th in the nation in shutout percentage (53%).
• Goalkeeper Dallas Jaye is fourth in the nation in GAA (0.38) and third in save percentage (.902).
• On Monday, Dallas Jaye and Matt Vasquenza were named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for their parts in XU's overtime win against Marquette.
• Xavier's win at No. 1 Creighton, coupled with a Butler loss to DePaul, moved the team into third-place in the BIG EAST standings with two matches to play. The top-six of the league earn bids into the BIG EAST Championship, which will be held at campus sites this season.
• At 4-2-1, the Musketeers trail only unbeaten Georgetown (7-0) and Creighton (6-1).
• Saturday's outcome will be important, but Xavier will have further chance to control its seeding with a road match at Butler (Nov. 5) to close the regular season.
• Behind Xavier, Butler (4-3) sits in fourth-place. Providence (3-3-1) and DePaul (3-3-1) are tied for fifth and would claim the tournament's last two spots if the season ended today.
• Graduate student Dallas Jaye is 8-1-1 in net for Xavier and is fourth in the nation in GAA (0.38) and third in save percentage (.902)
• The Musketeers are 8-1-1 with just four goals allowed when Jaye starts. Without Jaye in net, XU is 2-3 overall with eight goals allowed in five matches (1.60 GAA).
• The San Ramon, Calif. native is coming off a career-high eight saves at No. 1 Creighton.
• He is on pace to shatter the school record for individual GAA (0.74), which was set in 2014 by Eric Osswald.
• Making just his second start of the season at No. 2 Notre Dame, Jaye recorded six saves and shut out the Irish on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
• Jaye was an offseason transfer from USF and missed the first couple weeks of the season playing for Guam (Matao) in 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Qualifiers. Jaye also missed Xavier's Oct. 10 match against Providence due to national team obligations.
• Xavier has been ranked in the NSCAA Poll in four of nine weeks and has climbed as high as No. 10, but the Musketeers dropped from the poll after back-to-back losses to then-No. 16 Georgetown and Providence earlier in October.
• After beginning the season nationally-ranked for the first time in program history (No. 19), Xavier moved up nine spots to No. 10 on Tuesday, Sept. 1 after its 2-0 start to the season. The top-10 ranking was the third all-time for XU and the second-highest mark in program history.
• The highest NSCAA ranking ever for men's soccer came last October 28 when the squad was rated ninth in the poll – a mark that stands as the highest non-basketball ranking by any current Xavier program in school history.
• The Musketeers were selected to finish fourth in what has arguably become college soccer's premier conference, coming in just behind three preseason top-10 teams in Creighton, Georgetown and Providence. The fourth-place prediction is the highest for XU since entering the league in 2013.
• As a team, Xavier was picked to finish seventh in 2014 and fifth in 2013.
• Despite losing the winningest senior class in Xavier history, the Musketeers returned a seven-man senior group and three of their top-four scorers from 2014 – sophomore Matt Vasquenza (7g, 6a), senior Alex Ridsdale (5g, 4a) and junior Jalen Brown (4g, 2a).
Sophomore defender Cory Brown, a native of Nelson, New Zealand, picked up a laundry list of preseason honors, including:
• MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List
• Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
• College Soccer News Preseason All-America Third Team
• Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Best XI Second Team
• Top Drawer Soccer National Top 100 (No. 22)
As a group, Xavier's 11 shutouts and 0.84 GAA were both program records in 2014 and Brown's steady presence in the backline was a big reason. The then-freshman stepped into the starting lineup immediately and did not miss a match. Brown's 23 starts tied a program record and his 2,119 minutes played led XU. On top of his defensive role, Brown added three goals and three assists from the back row and was the team's fifth-leading scorer.
In 2014, XU wrapped up the year with a 15-6-2 overall record and went 6-1-2 in the BIG EAST Conference en route to the program's first-ever BIG EAST Championship match and NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearances. Setting program records for wins (15), shutouts (11) and team GAA (0.84), the Musketeers also boasted a No. 9 national ranking from the NSCAA on Oct. 28. That mark was the highest non-basketball ranking by any current Xavier athletic program in school history.
• XU has six straight seasons with at least 10 wins, beginning the year as one of just 15 programs to claim five straight 10-win seasons.
• XU is one of just 19 teams nationally to appear in four of last five NCAA Tournaments.
• XU is one of just four BIG EAST teams to make four of the past five NCAA Tournaments.
• XU is one of just 26 programs with multiple NCAA wins in the last three years.
• XU has collected six straight NSCAA Team Academic Awards, while the 2012 team boasted the nation's top GPA among Division I private institutions.
• Since 2012, XU has posted two top-10 national rankings, a top-10 MLS pick, led the nation in fewest yellow cards and carried a top-10 GPA.
Family, friends and fans are reminded to arrive early as the Musketeers will honor their seven graduating seniors prior to kickoff.
The match will be broadcast live on BEDN and fans can also follow along with live stats and Twitter updates.
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THE MATCHUP |
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HONORING OUR SENIORS |
• Coming into Saturday's match, this year's seniors have led XU to a 49-20-10 (.684) mark, five wins against the NSCAA Top 10 and three NCAA Tournament wins.
• With two regular season matches to go, this year's group could challenge the 2014 Musketeer senior class (51 wins, .677 winning percentage) for a program record.
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SCOUTING SETON HALL |
• The Pirates pushed the Hoyas to brink, taking a 2-1 lead in the 77th minute before ultimately falling, 3-2, in overtime on a Brandon Allen golden goal in the 96th minute.
• SHU's lone result this season came on August 30 in a 1-1 tie against Furman at the College of Charleston Tournament.
• Julian Spindler (9 GP, 2.62 GAA) and Brandon Barnes (6 GP, 2.77 GAA) have split time in goal for SHU, combining for a 2.68 goals allowed average.
• Danny Bartok (4g, 0a) is the leading scorer for the Pirates, while Samuel Geiler (3g, 1a) leads the team in shots (32) and shots on goal (16).
• As a team, Seton Hall has scored 13 goals in 14 matches (0.93 goals per match), including four multi-goal matches. The Pirates have also been shut out five times.
• Seton Hall has shown a tendency to fade in the second half, getting outscored 25-7 after halftime this season.
• The Pirates have been outshot 190-151 this season, including 85-59 in shots on goal.
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SERIES HISTORY |
• The Musketeers took last year's matchup in South Orange, N.J., 3-1, going ahead early in the match, getting a goal from Cory Brown in the 17th minute. After Seton Hall equalized off a set piece, Will Walker buried his third goal of the year on a PK to give XU the lead for good. Matt Vasquenza added a score in the 82nd minute to put the match to bed.
• XU also won 3-0 in the first-ever meeting between the two programs on Oct. 23, 2013 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Three seniors scored for the Musketeers in that match, including John McDermott, Matt Walker and Gino De Paoli.
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NEXT UP |
• It will be the third straight season the two programs end the regular season with each other.
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LAST TIME OUT |
• Creighton fell to 15-1 overall and 6-1 in the BIG EAST with the setback after coming into the night as the nation's last remaining unbeaten and untied team.
• Josh Grant put the Musketeers up early with a 14th minute strike, assisted by Majed Osman. The Bluejays were able to answer with a Lucas Stauffer goal in the 32nd, assisted by Fabian Herbers.
• Matt Vasquenza's game-winner came in the 89th, as the sophomore gained control of a deflected ball in the box and buried it from the near side.
• With the win, Xavier improved to 4-2-1 in the BIG EAST and moved into third-place as Butler fell to 4-3 with a loss to DePaul.
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VASQUENZA PLAYING HERO |
• Since 2014, Vasquenza is XU's leading scorer with 31 points (12 goals, 7 assists).
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ROAD WARRIORS |
• XU's road wins include huge results against No. 1 Creighton (2-1, Oct. 28) and No. 2 Notre Dame (1-0, Sept. 15) in addition to victories against Wisconsin, Cincinnati, DePaul and Villanova.
• Xavier is tied for the second-most road wins in the nation with Rutgers (6-1-1), Rider (6-2-0), SIUE (6-2-1) and Cal St. Northridge (6-2-1).
• Only Akron (7-1-1) has more road wins.
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XAVIER AGAINST THE BEST |
• In true road games, XU is 2-2 against top-10 opposition.
• Xavier has picked up the highest-ranked win in program history twice this fall, beating No. 1 Creighton on Oct. 28 in Omaha, Neb and also knocking off No. 2 Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. on Sept. 15.
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FLEMING ERA RESULTS VS. TOP 10 |
vs. No. 9 Georgetown in Cincinnati, Ohio on Oct. 12, 2013 (W, 2-1)
at No. 4 Creighton in Omaha, Neb. on Oct. 5, 2013 (L, 2-0)
vs. No. 6 Creighton in Cincinnati, Ohio on Oct. 18, 2014 (T, 1-1 in 2OT)
vs. No. 8 Georgetown in Philadelphia, Pa. on Nov. 14, 2014 (W, 1-0)
vs. No. 5 Indiana in Bloomington, Ind. on Nov. 23, 2014 (W, 2-1)
at No. 9 Creighton in Omaha, Neb. on Nov. 30, 2014 (L, 2-1)
at No. 2 Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. on Sept. 15, 2015 (W, 1-0)
at No. 1 Creighton in Omaha, Neb. on Oct. 28, 2015 (W, 2-1)
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DOING IT WITH OFFENSE |
• The Musketeers' 24 goals through 15 matches are also 59th in the NCAA.
• 17 of Xavier's 23 goals have come after halftime this fall. The Musketeers have outscored opponents 15-5 in the second half.
• Xavier sports a balanced offense with 11 different players scoring goals this season. Nine different Musketeers have registered an assist.
• Senior Alex Ridsdale and sophomore Matt Vasquenza lead XU in scoring, each with five goals and one assist.
• Ridsdale's bicycle kick score against IPFW on Tuesday, Sept. 22 was the No. 6 play on ESPN SportsCenter that night.
• Vasquenza has scored the game-winner in each of the last two matches for Xavier, netting a 96th minute golden goal against Marquette on Saturday, Oct. 24 and then blasting in the game-winner at No. 1 Creighton on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
• The Musketeers have outshot opponents 174-141 overall and 79-59 in shots on goal. Xavier averages 11.6 shots per match and has held opponents to just 9.4 attempts per match.
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DOING IT WITH DEFENSE |
• Xavier's blanking of Marquette on Saturday was its eighth of the season. In 2014, XU set a program record with 11 clean sheets.
• XU has kept shutouts in six of its last 10 matches and ranks 13th in the nation in shutout percentage (53%).
• Goalkeeper Dallas Jaye is fourth in the nation in GAA (0.38) and third in save percentage (.902).
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WEEKLY HONORS |
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RACE TO THE FINISH |
• At 4-2-1, the Musketeers trail only unbeaten Georgetown (7-0) and Creighton (6-1).
• Saturday's outcome will be important, but Xavier will have further chance to control its seeding with a road match at Butler (Nov. 5) to close the regular season.
• Behind Xavier, Butler (4-3) sits in fourth-place. Providence (3-3-1) and DePaul (3-3-1) are tied for fifth and would claim the tournament's last two spots if the season ended today.
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JAYE MAKING BIG IMPACT |
• The Musketeers are 8-1-1 with just four goals allowed when Jaye starts. Without Jaye in net, XU is 2-3 overall with eight goals allowed in five matches (1.60 GAA).
• The San Ramon, Calif. native is coming off a career-high eight saves at No. 1 Creighton.
• He is on pace to shatter the school record for individual GAA (0.74), which was set in 2014 by Eric Osswald.
• Making just his second start of the season at No. 2 Notre Dame, Jaye recorded six saves and shut out the Irish on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
• Jaye was an offseason transfer from USF and missed the first couple weeks of the season playing for Guam (Matao) in 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Qualifiers. Jaye also missed Xavier's Oct. 10 match against Providence due to national team obligations.
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XU IN THE NSCAA POLL |
• After beginning the season nationally-ranked for the first time in program history (No. 19), Xavier moved up nine spots to No. 10 on Tuesday, Sept. 1 after its 2-0 start to the season. The top-10 ranking was the third all-time for XU and the second-highest mark in program history.
• The highest NSCAA ranking ever for men's soccer came last October 28 when the squad was rated ninth in the poll – a mark that stands as the highest non-basketball ranking by any current Xavier program in school history.
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XU PICKED TO FINISH FOURTH |
• As a team, Xavier was picked to finish seventh in 2014 and fifth in 2013.
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PLENTY LOST, PLENTY BACK |
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BROWN'S HARDWARE |
• MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List
• Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
• College Soccer News Preseason All-America Third Team
• Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Best XI Second Team
• Top Drawer Soccer National Top 100 (No. 22)
As a group, Xavier's 11 shutouts and 0.84 GAA were both program records in 2014 and Brown's steady presence in the backline was a big reason. The then-freshman stepped into the starting lineup immediately and did not miss a match. Brown's 23 starts tied a program record and his 2,119 minutes played led XU. On top of his defensive role, Brown added three goals and three assists from the back row and was the team's fifth-leading scorer.
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A LOOK BACK ON 2014 |
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AMONG THE NATION'S ELITE |
• XU is one of just 19 teams nationally to appear in four of last five NCAA Tournaments.
• XU is one of just four BIG EAST teams to make four of the past five NCAA Tournaments.
• XU is one of just 26 programs with multiple NCAA wins in the last three years.
• XU has collected six straight NSCAA Team Academic Awards, while the 2012 team boasted the nation's top GPA among Division I private institutions.
• Since 2012, XU has posted two top-10 national rankings, a top-10 MLS pick, led the nation in fewest yellow cards and carried a top-10 GPA.
Players Mentioned
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GK
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GK
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