2010 Men's Soccer Team Began Epic Run Five Years Ago

CINCINNATI – El-Hadji Dieng had no way of knowing it at the time, but his game-winning goal at Fordham on Nov. 7, 2010 would become one of the most important in Xavier men's soccer history.

On that fall day in the Bronx, it gave the Musketeers a 1-0 win and a 5-4 league record. But when two other results swung Xavier's way, the goal clinched a spot in the Atlantic 10 Championship – no small feat for a team with a first-year head coach and a roster that had won just two matches the year before.

"To see the guys' reaction upon hearing of our bid was special for me and is what I coach for," head coach Andy Fleming said after the match. "We now get another week together."

What they did with that extended time together would become a springboard for the success the program enjoys today. Following that win, Xavier would post three straight shutouts in the A-10 Championship against the league's top three seeds and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

In the Musketeers' first-ever NCAA Tournament match, the Musketeers went up 2-0 early before falling, 4-2, to West Virginia. But eight graduating seniors left a program in better shape than it had ever been.

"Without a question, I am the proudest college soccer coach in America tonight, and Xavier is now on the map," Fleming said after the NCAA Tournament loss. "I want to thank the players and their families for a wonderful ride and helping me learn and grow as a first-year head coach. Above all, I commend our seniors for leaving a legacy that we will begin to build on two weeks from now. The future is bright and we will be back."

He should have added, "over and over," to that last sentence.

2010 XAVIER ROSTER

• Seniors: El-Hadji Dieng, James Getzen, Andy Dimbi, Brandon Bucher and Bryan Kanu.
• Juniors: Ryan Gray, Ryan Englemann, Andrew Boisvert, Brendan Rogers, Justin Jarvis and Sean Ryan.
• Sophomores: Pete Montgomery, Tanner Petrick, Luke Spencer, Ed Morley, James Queree, Tom McBride, Andre Bezerra and Justin Marshall.
• Freshmen: Adar Cohen, Matt Walker, Jack McDermott, Nick Hagglund, Gino DePaoli and Andy Kaplan.

2010 INDIVIDUAL HONORS

• Following the season, forward Luke Spencer and goalkeeper Justin Marshall were named to the 2010 NSCAA Division I Men All-Mid-Atlantic Region Second Team.
• Marshall was the anchor in net for XU, setting since-broken program records for shutouts (9) and goals against average (0.76). He allowed just 19 goals in over 1,800 minutes.
• After posting three consecutive shutouts in the A-10 Tournament, including 13 saves in the semifinal against top-seeded Charlotte, Marshall was named the Most Outstanding Player of the A-10 Tournament.
• Brandon Bucher, Nick Hagglund and Luke Spencer were also all named to the A-10 All-Tournament Team.
• Nick Hagglund was honored as an Atlantic 10 All-Rookie selection after starting all 17 games for the Musketeers.
• Senior Andy Dimbi and junior Sean Ryan were named to the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team.

2010 TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Made Xavier's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament in men's soccer and won its first-ever Atlantic 10 Championship.
• Ran the table as a six-seed at the A-10 Tournament, becoming the first team to advance and win the league's championship as a six-seed.
• Not only did they win in improbable fashion, they did it against the league's top-three seeds in No. 3 Temple, No. 2 La Salle and No. 1 Charlotte.
• Won 10 matches, doubling the program's win total from the prior two years combined, after being picked 13th (of 14 teams) in the A-10 preseason poll.

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