Men's Soccer Falls in Regular Season Finale Against No. 18 Butler, 2-1

Thursday, November 3

XU Soccer Complex

7 p.m.

Xavier University

8-7-3, 4-4-1BE

No. 18/25/20 Butler

11-5-1, 6-3BE

Butler

Xavier

Men's Soccer Falls in Regular Season Finale Against No. 18 Butler, 2-1

11.03.16 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)

Jalen Brown scored his seventh goal of the season in the setback

By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletics Communication

CINCINNATI – No. 18 Butler got a brace from Lewis Suddick, stealing a 2-1 win from Xavier men's soccer in Thursday night's regular season finale at XU Soccer Complex.

The Musketeers drop to 8-7-3 (4-4-1 BIG EAST) and will be the fifth seed in the upcoming BIG EAST Championships. XU will travel to face fourth-seeded Creighton on Sunday in Omaha, Neb. Match time is TBA.

Butler clinches a bye in the league tournament with a second-place finish at 11-5-1 (6-3 BIG EAST).

Finishing around the same time, Providence clinched the other bye and outright BIG EAST regular season title with a 1-0 win against St. John's.

BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIPS

• The BIG EAST Championships begin on Sunday, Nov. 6 at campus sites. The top two seeds receive byes.
• The seeds for the upcoming tournament are:

1. Providence (7-2, 21 pts)
2. Butler (6-3, 18 pts)
3. Villanova (5-3-1, 16 pts)
4. Creighton (5-3-1, 16 pts)
5. Xavier (4-4-1, 13 pts)
6. DePaul (4-5, 12 pts)

HOW THEY SCORED

• 3' | Butler | Alex Lehtinen won a ball around midfield, firing directly to Isaac Galliford who found Lewis Suddick at the top of the box. Suddick made a move, turned and fired a low-liner beating Colin Hanley to the left to make it a 1-0 match.
• 17' | Xavier | Cory Brown played a long ball over the top to Matt Vasquenza on the left flank, who centered to Jalen Brown. Brown turned and sent one into the upper right corner to even the match, 1-1.
• 77' | Butler | Lewis Suddick received a pass from Jared Timmer on the right side, just past midfield, making a short run and firing a shot that glanced off the back of a Xavier defender before deflecting into the goal.

JALEN BROWN'S SCORE

#BEDN HIGHLIGHT | Look at the finish from Jalen Brown! We're tied up. #LetsGoX https://t.co/r4dtuVxPEw
— Xavier Men's Soccer (@XavierMSOC) November 3, 2016

NOTABLE

• The Musketeers, despite the loss, qualified for a fourth straight BIG EAST Championships bid. XU has never missed the six team playoff since joining the league.
• The Musketeers drop to 2-2-2 at home against NSCAA Top 25 opposition since 2010. XU is 9-10-4 against NSCAA-ranked foes since 2010 overall.
• Xavier outshot Butler 19-10 overall, but the two sides were even at 4-4 in shots on goal.
• Jalen Brown tallied for the seventh time this season in the 17th minute. He now leads XU with 16 points on the season.
• Matt Vasquenza recorded his fifth assist of the season on Brown's goal and now ranks second on the team with 15 points.
• Cory Brown picked up his first assist of the season on Brown's goal, becoming the 11th different Musketeer to contribute a helper in 2016.
• XU finishes below fourth in the league standings for the first time since joining the league ahead of the 2013 season.
• Xavier is now 21-11-4 (.639) in league play since joining the BIG EAST ahead of the 2013 season.

UP NEXT

• Xavier will travel to Creighton on Sunday, Nov. 6 for the opening round of the BIG EAST Championships. Match time is TBA.

AMONG THE NATION'S BEST

• 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.