Men's Soccer Hosts Belmont in Midweek Matchup at NKU

Tuesday, October 11

NKU Soccer Stadium (Northern Kentucky University)

7:30 p.m.

Xavier University

Belmont

Men's Soccer Hosts Belmont in Midweek Matchup at NKU

10.10.16 | Men's Soccer

Xavier looking to continue defensive dominance after posting four shutouts in five matches

By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletics Communication

CINCINNATI – Xavier men's soccer looks to continue a strong defensive stretch when it hosts Belmont on Tuesday night at NKU Soccer Stadium. The match is slated for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff.

Coming off a 2-0 win against St. John's on Saturday, the Musketeers (6-3-2, 3-1 BIG EAST) own shutout wins in four of their last five outings and are 4-0-1 at home in 2016.

THE MATCHUP

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (6-3-2, 3-1 BIG EAST CONFERENCE)
vs. BELMONT BRUINS (1-8-3, 0-3-2 HORIZON LEAGUE)
Match Info: Tuesday, Oct. 11 – 7:30 p.m. – NKU Soccer Stadium
Follow: Live Stats | Live Video | @XavierMSOC

ABOUT BELMONT

2016 Record: 1-8-3 (0-3-2 Horizon League)
Last Result: T, 0-0 vs. Green Bay on Saturday, Oct. 8
Key Players: Eli Crognale (17 SH, 1 A), Stephen Bailey (15 SH, 1 G), Dennis Kluba (5 SH, 2 G)
In Goal: Mertcan Akar (12 GP, 90 SV, 1.93 GAA)

Notable:
• The match will be the first regular season meeting between the two programs.
• Head coach Bryan Green is in his third season and continues to build the Belmont program as it has transitioned from independent status to the Horizon League.
• With shutouts against Wright State and Green Bay, the Bruin defense has produced back-to-back shutouts in Horizon League play for the first time in Green's two plus seasons as head coach.
• Goalkeeper Mertcan Akar is first in the nation with 90 saves. He is already seventh all-time on Belmont's single season saves list with six regular season matches remaining.
• In seven of its past nine matches Belmont has been tied 0-0 with its opponent at halftime.
• Belmont's nine goals have been scored by seven different players.
• Four of the top five shot takers on Belmont are newcomers as freshman Eli Crognale (Gahanna, Ohio) currently paces the squad with 17 shots.

PLAYIN' IN A TRAVELING BAND

• Tonight's "home match" at NKU Soccer Stadium will be the Musketeers' sixth 2016 home tilt away from the comforts of Xavier Soccer Complex.
• Despite the challenge of playing away from XU Soccer Compex, XU is 3-0-1 in home matches away from home. The Musketeers drew with Dartmouth at UC on Sept. 5 and have run off four straight "home" wins since, including victories against Cincinnati (at NKU), DePaul (at UC) and St. John's (at Walnut Hills HS).
• During the stretch, the Musketeers have competed at UC's Gettler Stadium twice, NKU Soccer Stadium once and at local Walnut Hills High School.
• The Xavier Soccer Complex is currently under repair and temporarily unplayable due to last month's severe flooding in and around the Norwood area.
• XU's only true home match this season was the 2016 opener, a 3-1 win against Evansville back on Friday, August 26.

LAST TIME OUT

• XU got second half goals from Jalen Brown and Matt Vasquenza, knocking off St. John's on Saturday at Walnut Hills High School.
• The Musketeers recorded a fourth shutout in five matches and improved to 4-0-1 at "home."
• Colin Hanley made six saves, earning his fourth clean sheet of the season.
• Majed Osman doubled his season assist total on Saturday as the senior midfielder now has four the year. Osman also posted a match-high four shots on the day.
• Jalen Brown now has a team-leading four goals on the year. Matt Vasquenza's goal brings his total to three this season, ranking tied for second on the squad.
• Xavier is only the second team to score multiple goals on St. John's this season. No. 6 Syracuse scored three on the Red Storm on Sept. 4.
• St. John's held a 12-6 advantage in shots, including a 6-4 lead in shots on goal.

SHARING IS CARING

• Sporting a typically-balanced offensive attack, Xavier has received goals from eight different players while eight Musketeers have contributed assists.

ON THE OFFENSIVE

• Xavier ranks 71st in the nation in total points (50) and 81st in total goals (16).
• Xavier ranks 39th in the NCAA in assists per game (1.64) and 42nd in total assists (18).

SHOTS FIRED

• Xavier has been one of the top teams in the nation at generating scoring chances this fall.
• The Musketeers have outshot their opponents 145-133, including a 62-57 edge in shots on goal.
• The Musketeers are 69th in the nation with 13.18 shots per game and also rank 66th in shots on goal per match with an average of 5.64.
• Individually, Majed Osman rates 19th in the NCAA with 3.64 shots per game and 41st with 1.55 shots on goal per game.

KEEPING CLEAN

• Sophomore Colin Hanley has been outstanding in goal over his past five outings, stabilizing the position and posting four shutouts to go with a 0.49 GAA in BIG EAST action.
• He ranks 27th in the nation with a 0.66 GAA and 16th in saves per match (5.17). His save percentage is third in the country (.886).
• Hanley made his season debut on Sept. 13 in a 2-0 loss at nationally-ranked Louisville, but since then has allowed just two goals in over 458 minutes.

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.
• With four shutouts in his last five outings, sophomore Colin Hanley could give Jaye's mark a run. His GAA sits at 0.66 overall and is a sterling 0.49 in BIG EAST action.

BIG (EAST) SUCCESS

• After a 3-1 start to league play, Xavier is now 20-8-3 (.694) in BIG EAST play since joining the conference ahead of the 2013 season.
• The Musketeers have never finished below fourth in the BIG EAST standings.
• In three years in the league, Xavier has never failed to advance to the BIG EAST Tournament – reaching the semifinals in 2013 and 2015, while also appearing in the 2014 title match against Providence.

2016 BIG EAST STANDINGS

#	TEAM	OVERALL (%)	BIG EAST (%)
1.	Creighton	7-1-3 (.773)	3-0-1 (.875)
2.	Butler	8-2-1 (.773)	3-1 (.750)
3.	Xavier	6-3-2 (.636)	3-1 (.750)
4.	Providence	7-5 (.583)	2-2 (.500)
5.	Villanova	6-5-1 (.542)	2-2 (.500)
6.	St. John's	5-3-3 (.591)	1-1-2 (.500)
7.	Georgetown	3-7-1 (.318)	1-2-1 (.375)
8.	DePaul	6-5-2 (.538)	1-3 (.250)
9.	Seton Hall	3-8-1 (.292)	1-3 (.250)
10.	Marquette	3-4-4 (.455)	0-2-2 (.250)

* Standings current through 10/9

2016 BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS

• Cory Brown and Colin Hanley were rewarded for XU's stellar defensive week, bringing home a pair of weekly awards on Monday, Oct. 10.
• Xavier has had six different players honored on nine different occasions by the BIG EAST this season.

NAME	AWARD (DATE)
Colin Hanley	BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week (10/10)
Cory Brown	BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week (10/10)
Jalen Brown	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (10/10)
Jalen Brown	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (9/26)
Cory Brown	BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week (9/19)
Majed Osman	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (9/19)
Derrick Otim	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (9/12)
Jake Ciricillo	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (9/5)
Jalen Brown	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (8/29)

XAVIER AGAINST THE BEST

• Xavier has faced 21 NSCAA-ranked opponents in the last six-plus seasons.
• Since 2010, Xavier now boasts an 8-9-4 overall record against NSCAA 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

• After a 2-1 road loss at Providence on Saturday, Xavier men's soccer responded with a 1-0 win vs. Cleveland State on Tuesday. It continues a trend of solid play after losses under Andy Fleming.
• Since 2010, XU has compiled a record of 19-8-4 (.677) 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	2-0-1
7 Seasons	19-8-4 (.677)

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

• Xavier has played the 21st most difficult schedule in the nation thus far with a combined opponent record of 57-37-21 (.587).
• The Musketeers are also rated 17th in the latest NCAA RPI rankings, released on Monday, Oct. 10.
• Six teams in the BIG EAST are in the top-35 in terms of schedule strength, ranging from Georgetown (5), Creighton (11), Villanova (15), Xavier (21), Butler (26) and Seton Hall (34).
• Eight league teams are in the top-100 as Providence ranks 64th and St. John's ranks 91st.

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.

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 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
• College Soccer News National Team of the Week (10/10)
• 2x BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week (9/19, 10/10)

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.

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.