Men's Soccer Opens 2016 Slate Against Evansville on Friday Night

Friday, August 26

XU Soccer Complex

7 p.m.

Xavier University

Evansville

Men's Soccer Opens 2016 Slate Against Evansville on Friday Night

08.24.16 | Men's Soccer

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By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletics Communication

CINCINNATI – Xavier men's soccer officially begins the 2016 season on Friday night, welcoming Evansville to XU Soccer Complex for a 7 p.m. ET match.

ABOUT EVANSVILLE

Match Info: Friday, Aug. 26 – 7 p.m. – XU Soccer Complex
2015 Record: 3-13, 0-6 MVC
Postseason: N/A

Notable:
• The 2016 season opener will be the first match between XU and Evansville since 2010.
• XU and Evansville were once frequent opponents, as the Purple Aces hold a 20-2-3 edge in the all-time series.
• The two programs have met just three times since 2000 and battled to a 0-0 tie on Sept. 17, 2010 in the lone meeting under current XU head coach Andy Fleming.
• Evansville head coach Marshall Ray enters his second season at the helm of the traditionally-strong Evansville program. Ray spent nine seasons as a top assistant with the Purple Aces before ascending to the head job in 2015.
• Evansville has made 11 all-time appearances in the NCAA Tournament, but none since 1996.
• The Purple Aces lost 10 straight matches from Sept. 23 to Oct. 31 last season, but rebounded to win a 4-0 decision against Northern Kentucky in their season finale.
• Evansville's 2015 wins came against NKU, Marshall and Belmont.

XU IN SEASON OPENERS

• Xavier begins its 43rd season of men's soccer in 2016.
• The Musketeers have put together a 2-2-2 record in their last six season openers, including results against Eastern Illinois (8-0 win in 2016), Marshall (1-0 win in 2011) and No. 20 Northwestern (1-1 tie in 2012).
• The Musketeers are 12-22-8 all-time in season openers.

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.
• In the last three years, Xavier has gone 17-7-3 (.685) overall in league play.

WHAT'S RETURNING

• 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 37-19-5 (.648) 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 will have to replace a BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year for a second straight season after losing Dallas Jaye (13 GS, 0.63 GAA) to graduation.
• Leading scorer Alex Ridsdale (8g, 1a) was 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 Watch List as a sophomore.

2016 PRESEASON 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

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.

HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?

• Xavier goalkeepers have now 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.

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.