Men's Soccer Caps BIG EAST Road Schedule at Seton Hall

Saturday, October 29

South Orange, NJ

7 p.m.

Xavier University

Seton Hall

Men's Soccer Caps BIG EAST Road Schedule at Seton Hall

10.28.16 | Men's Soccer

Musketeers look to finish strong after taking down No. 18 Creighton on Wednesday

By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletics Communication

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Tied for second with two regular season matches remaining, Xavier men's soccer heads to Seton Hall on Saturday looking for a second straight win after knocking off No. 18 Creighton on Wednesday at home.

The Musketeers (8-5-3, 4-2-1) responded in a big way after back-to-back losses last week, coming-from-behind to beat a ranked Creighton team for a second straight year, while jumping from a tie for fourth to a three-way tie for third (alongside Villanova and Creighton).

Seton Hall (3-10-2, 1-5-1 BIG EAST) is coming off a home tie against Georgetown and will be hoping to finish its home schedule on a high note Saturday as part of "Senior Day" festivities.

THE MATCHUP

XAVIER MUSKETEERS (8-5-3, 4-2-1 BIG EAST CONFERENCE)
vs. SETON HALL PIRATES (3-10-2, 1-5-1 BIG EAST CONFERENCE)
Match Info: Saturday, Oct. 29 – 7 p.m. – Owen T. Carroll Field
Follow: Live Stats | Watch (BEDN) | @XavierMSOC

ABOUT SETON HALL

2016 Record: 3-10-2 (1-5-1 BIG EAST Conference)
Last Result: T, 0-0 at Georgetown on Wednesday, Oct. 26
Key Players: Andres Arcila (6 G, 4 A, 42 SH), Jonathan Jimenez (2 G, 4 A, 24 SH), Jordan Kinoshi (2 G, 16 SH)
In Goal: Julian Spindler (14 GS, 21 GA, 1.44 GAA, 54 SV, 2 SHO)

Notable:
• After four-straight losses, SHU battled to a 0-0 tie against Georgetown at home on Wednesday. The Pirates had lost back-to-back matches 1-0 against Providence and Butler – two of the top teams in the BIG EAST – prior to the result against the Hoyas.
• The Pirates' have two shutouts in conference play, including a 2-0 win over Marquette on Oct. 1.
• Overall, SHU is 1-1-1 in BIG EAST matches at home and 2-3-2 overall at Owen T. Carroll Field.
• SHU has outshot opponents 192-184, but opponents have an 82-67 advantage in shots on goal.
• Head coach Gerson Echeverry has led Seton Hall since 2012. One of the most decorated players in program history, he led the Pirates to a BIG EAST Championship in 1991 with 52 points.

PLAYIN' IN A TRAVELING BAND

• Last Wednesday's home match at Xavier Soccer Complex was just the Musketeers' third true home match of the season after playing six straight matches off campus during field repairs.
• The Xavier Soccer Complex was temporarily unplayable due to severe flooding in and around the Norwood area in late August.
• XU's is 2-1 overall in true home matches, beating Evansville 3-1 back on Friday, Aug. 26 and No. 18 Creighton on Wednesday, Oct. 26. The Musketeers' lone loss came against SIUE on Tuesday, Oct. 18.
• Despite the challenge of playing away from XU Soccer Compex, XU went 4-0-2 in home matches away from home. The Musketeers drew with Dartmouth at UC on Sept. 5 and then ran off four "home" wins, including victories against Cincinnati (at NKU), DePaul (at UC), St. John's (at Walnut Hills HS) and Belmont (at NKU). On Saturday, Oct. 15, Xavier drew with Villanova 2-2 in its final match at Gettler Stadium.
• During the homeless stretch, the Musketeers competed at UC's Gettler Stadium three times, NKU Soccer Stadium twice and at local Walnut Hills High School.

NO HARM, NO FOUL

• Xavier has long been one of the fewest penalized teams in the nation, and 2016 has been no exception. The Musketeers have been charged with just 12 yellow cards (no reds) this season. Only 12 teams have fewer yellows this season.

LAST TIME OUT

• Cam Taylor collected his first career golden goal on Wednesday night, playing the hero as Xavier men's soccer dispatched No. 18 Creighton 2-1 at XU Soccer Complex.
• It was also Taylor's first career three-point match. The redshirt sophomore assisted on Matt Vasquenza's equalizer and then provided the game-winning goal in the 105th minute.
• The 2-1 win came nearly a year to the day after XU knocked off then-No. 1 Creighton at home (Oct. 28, 2015).
• XU has now outscored its opposition 16-10 after halftime in 2016.
• XU evened the all-time series against Creighton at 2-2-1 with the win – including results in three of the last four meetings. All five matches between the two programs have come since the two became BIG EAST members ahead of the 2013 season.
• Matt Vasquenza's goal was his second in as many matches and lifted him into the team lead with 14 points (5 G, 4 A).
• Matt Nance assisted on the game-winner, getting his fourth helper of the season on a free kick from the edge of the box. The junior defender is now tied for third on the team with 10 points (3 G, 4 A).
• The win vaulted XU into a three-way tie for second-place in the league standings alongside Creighton and Villanova.
• Xavier was outshot 29-7 overall in the match and ceded a 9-3 edge in corners to Creighton.
• After haltime, however, Creighton's shot advantage narrowed to 11-5.
• Derrick Otim's assist was his first point since Sept. 9 against UC. He is now fifth on the team with eight points (3 G, 2 A).

FINISHING STRONG

• Xavier has scored 15 of its 24 goals in the second half this season, out-scoring its opposition 16-10 after halftime.
• XU has also outshot its foes 113-97 in the second half and 20-16 in overtime.

SHARING IS CARING

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

ON THE OFFENSIVE

• Xavier ranks 39th in the nation in total points (77), 52nd in points per game (4.81) and 54th in total goals (24).
• XU ranks 19th in assists per game (1.81) and 14th in total assists (29).

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 231-200, including a 95-83 edge in shots on goal.
• The Musketeers are 29th in the nation with 14.44 shots per game and also rank 46th in shots on goal per match with an average of 5.94.
• Individually, Majed Osman rates 29th in the NCAA with 3.44 shots per game and 97th with 1.25 shots on goal per game.

KEEPING IT CLEAN

• Sophomore Colin Hanley has stabilized the goalkeeper position over the last 10 matches for XU, posting four shutouts to go with a 1.00 GAA.
• He ranks 63rd in the nation with a 1.00 GAA and 45th in saves per match (4.27). His save percentage is 36th in the country (.810).
• Hanley made his season debut on Sept. 13 in a 2-0 loss at nationally-ranked Louisville, but since then has allowed just nine goals in over 920 minutes.
• Prior to the Marquette match, Hanley's GAA in BIG EAST action had been a sterling 0.58 with three shutouts in six starts.

BIG (EAST) SUCCESS

• With a 4-2-1 record in 2016, Xavier is now 21-9-4 (.677) 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.	Providence	10-5 (.667)	5-2 (.714)
t2.	Villanova	9-5-2 (.625)	4-2-1 (.643)
t2.	Creighton	8-4-3 (.633)	4-2-1 (.643)
t2.	Xavier	8-5-3 (.594)	4-2-1 (.643)
5.	Butler	9-5-1 (.633)	4-3 (.571)
6.	DePaul	8-6-2 (.562)	3-4 (.429)
t7.	St. John's	6-5-4 (.533)	2-3-2 (.429)
t7.	Georgetown	5-8-2 (.400)	2-3-2 (.429)
9.	Marquette	4-6-4 (.429)	1-4-2 (.286)
10.	Seton Hall	3-10-2 (.267)	1-5-1 (.214)

* Standings current through 10/27

2016 BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS

• Matt Nance became the second Musketeer to earn BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week Honors on Monday, Oct. 17.
• Xavier has had seven different players honored on 11 different occasions by the BIG EAST this season.

NAME	AWARD (DATE)
Matt Nance	BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week (10/17)
Colin Hanley	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (10/17)
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 22 NSCAA-ranked opponents in the last six-plus seasons.
• Since 2010, Xavier boasts an 9-9-4 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: 2-1-2 | 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)
Oct. 26, 2016	Cincinnati, Ohio (H)	#18 Creighton	W, 2-1 (2OT)

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

GETTING UP OFF THE MAT

• Xavier has bounced back after losses consistently under head coach Andy Fleming.
• Since 2010, XU has compiled a record of 20-9-4 (.667) 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	3-1-1
7 Seasons	20-9-4 (.667)

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

• Xavier has played the 33rd most difficult schedule in the nation thus far with a combined opponent record of 105-80-41 (.555).
• The Musketeers were also rated 40th in the latest NCAA RPI rankings, released on Monday, Oct. 24.
• Six BIG EAST teams are in the top-60 in terms of schedule strength, ranging from Georgetown (13), Butler (20), Villanova (25), Creighton (26), Xavier (33) and Seton Hall (56). Nine of the league's teams are in the top-75, including Providence (63), Marquette (68) and DePaul (72).

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.