No. 4 Seed Xavier Travels to No. 1 Seed Butler for BIG EAST Championships Semifinal

Wednesday, November 8

Indianapolis, Ind.

7 p.m.

Xavier University

No. 1 Butler

No. 4 Seed Xavier Travels to No. 1 Seed Butler for BIG EAST Championships Semifinal

11.06.17 | Men's Soccer

Live Stats Watch (FS2)Championship Central

Musketeers will be vying for second-ever berth in league title game

By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI – No. 4 seed Xavier men's soccer heads to Indianapolis, Ind. on Wednesday for a showdown with top-seeded Butler in the BIG EAST Championships. First touch is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

The Musketeers improved to 11-5-2 this season with a dominant 3-0 win over Providence in the quarterfinal round on Saturday at XU Soccer Complex.

XU wrapped up a fourth-place league finish with a 5-4 league record this fall and is making a fifth-straight appearance in the BIG EAST Championships, having never missed the tournament as a member of the league.

The winner of the semifinal match will advance to the BIG EAST Championships title game on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 12 p.m. If Xavier were to advance, the Musketeers would travel to either No. 2 Georgetown or No. 3 St. John's for the final round.

Wednesday night's contest will be broadcast on BIG EAST Digital Network via the FOX Sports Go app.

THE OPPONENT

at BUTLER BULLDOGS
Match Info: Wednesday, Nov. 8 – 7 p.m. – Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl
2017 Record: 12-4-1, 8-1 BIG EAST Conference
Leading Scorers: Brandon Guhl (10g, 4a), Lewis Suddick (5g, 8a)

Notable:
• Butler clinched its first regular season league title last Saturday night and received a bye to the semifinal round.
• Xavier trails the all-time series 13-5 and Butler holds just a 5-2 edge since both programs joined the BIG EAST in 2013.
• The Bulldogs won their first-ever BIG EAST title in 2016, beating Creighton 2-1 in the championship game. Making a seventh NCAA Tournament appearance, Butler fell in penalty kicks to SIUE in the second round.
• Xavier and Butler met to end the regular season for the fifth straight year last Wednesday as Butler came-from-behind to knock off XU, 2-1.
• Butler coach Paul Snape is in his seventh season with a 64-44-21 record (24-17-2 BIG EAST).

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

2017 BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship
Presented By Jeep

First Round – Nov. 4 – BEDN
No. 6 Creighton at No. 3 St. John's – FINAL: St. John's 3, Creighton 1
No. 5 Providence at No. 4 Xavier – FINAL: Xavier 3, Providence 0

Semifinals – Wednesday, Nov. 8 – BEDN
No. 3 St. John's at No. 2 seed Georgetown, 1 p.m.
No. 4 Xavier at No. 1 seed Butler, 7 p.m.

Final – Sunday, Nov. 12 – FS2
Semifinal Winners, 12 p.m.

All times Eastern - All games played at the higher seed

BIG (EAST) SUCCESS

• With a 5-4 record in 2017, Xavier is now 26-15-4 (.622) in BIG EAST play since joining the conference ahead of the 2013 season.
• The Musketeers have never finished below fifth-place or missed qualifying for the BIG EAST Championships. After an Oct. 28 win over Seton Hall, XU clinched its fifth straight appearance in the league tournament.
• Xavier reached the league semifinals in 2013 and 2015, while also appearing in the 2014 title match against Providence. Last season, XU was eliminated in the quarterfinal round at Creighton.

AMONG THE NATION'S ELITE

• Xavier men's soccer has reached the NCAA Tournament in four of the last seven seasons.
• The Musketeers have won 10 or more matches in seven of the last eight seasons.
• Xavier was the only program in the nation with five consecutive major conference awards from 2012-16, including 2016 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Cory Brown.
• XU has qualified for five consecutive BIG EAST Championships, including a trip to the title game in 2014.
• XU has been ranked in the nation's top-10 three times in the last five years by the United Soccer Coaches.
• In 2015, XU knocked off 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.
• Three XU players have been selected in the MLS SuperDraft in the last six years, including 2017 second rounder Jalen Brown (38th overall).

TOURNAMENT TIME

• XU is 7-5-3 in conference tournaments under head coach Andy Fleming, winning Atlantic 10 Championships in 2010 and 2011.
• The Musketeers are 3-4 in the BIG EAST Championships with one runner-up finish in 2014.
• Xavier improved to 2-0 at home in the league's postseason tournament after Saturday's 3-0 win over Providence.
• Xavier's highest-seed was No. 2 in 2014.
• XU is a No. 4 seed for the second time and is 2-1 in the tournament as the league's fourth seed.
• Since 2013, the No. 4 seed has reached the league's title bout three times in four tries.

KEY STATS

STAT	XU	BUTLER
Goals	34	24
Goals Allowed	22	17
Goals Per Game	1.89	1.41
Shots On Goal	98	79
Shots Per Game	12.8	11.1
Shots Allowed Per Game	12.2	12.8
Assists	36	26
Corner Kicks	130	91
Corner Kicks Allowed	64	85
Penalty Kicks	0-0	3-3
Yellow Cards	22	20
Red Cards	1	0

XU IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS

*National statistic rankings current through matches played on 11/5*

TEAM

STAT	RANK	#
Assists Per Game	16	2.00
Corner Kicks Per Game	3	7.22
Points Per Game	23	5.78
Scoring Offense	26	1.89
Shots Per Game	76	12.83
Shots On Goal Per Game	77	5.44
Total Assists	12	36
Total Goals	20	34
Total Points	18	104
W-L-T %	40	.667

INDIVIDUAL

NAME	STAT	RANK	#
Jacob Goodall	Assists Per Game	37	0.44
Simen Hestnes	Assists Per Game	61	0.39
Josh Grant	Assists Per Game	74	0.38
Jacob Goodall	Total Assists	16	8
Simen Hestnes	Total Assists	38	7
Josh Grant	Total Assists	66	6
Samson Sergi	Total Goals	43	9
Matt Vasquenza	Total Goals	94	7
Simen Hestnes	Total Goals	94	7
Simen Hestnes	Total Points	60	21
Samson Sergi	Total Points	77	19
Matt Vasquenza	Total Points	90	18
Matt Vasquenza	Shots on Goal Per Game	73	1.33

LAST TIME OUT

• Xavier got two goals from Samson Sergi and an exclamation point from Simen Hestnes to down No. 5 seed Providence, 3-0, on Saturday night at XU Soccer Complex.
• Junior keeper Colin Hanley kept his third clean sheet in his five starts, making three saves to keep PC off the board.
• Xavier evened the all-time series against PC at 3-3-1.
• XU improved to 8-1 at home, winning eight straight at XU Soccer Complex after dropping its season opener on August 25.
• Simen Hestnes' three point match gave him a team-high 21 points.
• Samson Sergi's brace was his second of the season, both coming against the Friars, and gave him a team-leading nine goals this season.
• Jacob Goodall recorded his team-best eighth assist and became the sixth Musketeer with 10 points this season.
• XU's shutout was its sixth of the season.

XAVIER WHEN...

WHEN	RECORD
Outshooting Opponent	8-2-1
Shots Even	1-0-0
Outshot	3-3-1
After A Win	6-2-2
After A Loss	4-1-0
After A Tie	1-1-0
Scoring 0 Goals	0-1-0
Scoring 1 Goal	2-4-2
Scoring 2 Goals	2-0-0
Scoring 3 Goals	6-0-0
Scoring 4 Goals	1-0-0
Taking More Corners Than Opponent	10-4-1
Taking Less Corners Than Opponent	1-1-1
Leading At Half	7-1-0
Trailing At Half	1-3-0
Tied At Half	3-1-2

MULTI-GOAL/ASSIST MATCHES

DATE	OPPONENT	PLAYER	POINTS
Aug. 27	Drake	Josh Grant	2 (2 A)
Aug. 27	Drake	Jacob Goodall	2 (2 A)
Sept. 1	at Harvard	Simen Hestnes	4 (2 G)
Sept. 1	at Harvard	Matt Vasquenza	2 (2 A)
Sept. 4	at Boston College	Simen Hestnes	3 (1 G, 1 A)
Sept. 30	Providence	Samson Sergi	4 (2 G)
Sept. 30	Providence	Matt Vasquenza	3 (1 G, 1 A)
Oct. 3	Detroit	Matt Vasquenza	4 (2 G)
Oct. 25	DePaul	Jacob Goodall	3 (1 G, 1 A)
Nov. 4	Providence	Samson Sergi	4 (2 G)
Nov. 4	Providence	Simen Hestnes	3 (1 G, 1 A)

SHUTOUTS

DATE	OPPONENT	GOALKEEPER	SCORE	SHOTS FACED/SAVES
Aug. 27	Drake	Nelson (1)	3-0	5/1
Sept. 1	at Harvard	Nelson (2)	3-0	7/3
Sept. 16	#9 Georgetown	Nelson (3)	1-0 (OT)	16/3
Oct. 21	Marquette	Hanley (1)	1-0	10/2
Oct. 25	DePaul	Hanley (2)	2-0	9/3
Nov. 4	Providence	Hanley (3)	3-0	17/3

RECORD WATCH

TEAM ASSISTS (SEASON)

#	YEAR	ASSISTS
1.	2012	58
2.	1998	45
3.	1994	41
4.	2014	39
5.	1988	38
6.	1992	37
	2011	37
8.	2017	36

TEAM POINTS (SEASON)

#	YEAR	POINTS
1.	2012	156
2.	1994	149
3.	1998	139
4.	1992	135
5.	1979	114
	2017	104

TEAM GOALS AGAINST AVG. (SEASON)

#	YEAR	GAA
1.	2014	0.84
2.	2011	0.85
3.	2015	0.87
4.	2010	0.91
5.	2013	0.96
6.	2012	1.00
7.	2017	1.18

* Each of the program's top-seven GAA records have been set by Andy Fleming's teams.

TEAM WINS (SEASON)

#	YEAR	WINS
1.	2014	15
2.	2012	14
3.	1994	12
	2011	12
	2015	12
6.	1988	11
	1979	11
	2017	11

TEAM SHUTOUTS (SEASON)

#	YEAR	WINS
1.	2014	11
2.	2010	10
3.	2015	9
	2011	8
	2002	8
6.	2012	7
	2007	6
	2008	6
	2017	6

NOTABLE

• XU finished its home schedule 8-1 at XU Soccer Complex this year and with an eight-match winning streak. XU last lost at home on Friday, August 25 against Loyola.
• XU head coach Andy Fleming is 84-39-20 (.657) since 2010 and is Xavier soccer's all-time winningest coach. The Musketeers have won at least eight matches in all eight of his seasons at the helm.
• Xavier's four goals against Providence earlier this fall set a new team record for a BIG EAST match.
• XU's seven match unbeaten streak this season was its longest since a nine-match spurt from 9/20-10/29, 2014.

CORNERING THE MARKET

• The Musketeers generated a season-high 20 corner kicks against Seton Hall on Oct. 28 and hold a 130-64 corner kick advantage over their opponents this season.
• XU ranks first in the BIG EAST and third nationally in corner kicks per match (7.22).

KEEPING BALANCED

• Sporting a typically-balanced offensive attack, 11 players have recorded a point for Xavier this fall.
• 10 different Musketeers have recorded an assist this season and four XU players have six or more goals (Matt Vasquenza, Cam Taylor, Samson Sergi, Simen Hestnes).
• An impressive six different players have 10 points or more, including Matt Vasquenza (18), Simen Hestnes (21), Samson Sergi (19), Cam Taylor (15), Jacob Goodall (10) and Josh Grant (10).
• XU has had multiple 10-point scorers in eight straight seasons under Andy Fleming, including six this season as well as four in a season four different times.

VASQUENZA MAKES HIS MARK

• Senior forward Matt Vasquenza has been one of the team's go-to scorers throughout his career and is starting to make his mark in the program's all-time record book.
• Vasquenza currently has 65 points in career and moved past Charlie Combs (1991-94) for ninth all-time with his assist last Wednesday against Butler.
• Vasquenza passed Combs with his 24th career tally on Saturday against Seton Hall and is now tied for ninth all-time with Vladimir Ciric (1995-96).
• His assist against Butler moved him into a tie for ninth all-time at Xavier with 17 career helpers.
• Vasquenza has come up in big moments consistently in an XU uniform and has three game-winners this season.

XU MEN'S SOCCER INDIVIDUAL CAREER RECORDS

POINTS

#	NAME	YEARS	POINTS
1.	Doug Tegge	1991-94	129
2.	Tom Holton	1988-91	108
3.	Luke Spencer	2009-12	79
4.	Maurice Schilten	1994-95	76
	Matt Walker	2010-13	76
6.	Koen Kuiken	1997-00	71
7.	Jim Sandmann	1972-82	69
8.	Josh Hammerschmidt	1997-00	67
9.	Matt Vasquenza	2014-Present	65
10.	Charlie Combs	1991-94	64
11.	Will Walker	2011-14	59
12.	Mike Mossel	1992-93	58
13.	Martin Hernandez	1984-87	55

GOALS

#	NAME	YEARS	GOALS
1.	Doug Tegge	1991-94	51
2.	Tom Holton	1988-91	49
3.	Koen Kuiken	1997-00	30
4.	Jim Sandman	1972-82	29
	Luke Spencer	2009-12	29
6.	Maurice Schilten	1994-95	26
	Matt Walker	2010-13	26
8.	Mike Mossel	1992-93	25
9.	Vladimir Ciric	1995-96	24
	Matt Vasquenza	2014-Present	24
10.	Charlie Combs	1991-94	23

ASSISTS

#	Name	Years	Assists
1.	Josh Hammerschmidt	1997-00	29
2.	Doug Tegge	1991-94	27
3.	Maurice Schildten	1994-95	24
	Matt Walker	2010-13	24
5.	Will Walker	2011-14	23
6.	Luke Spencer	2009-12	21
7.	Rob Bakker	1998-01	19
8.	Charlie Combs	1991-94	18
9.	John McVey	1979-81	17
	Matt Vasquenza	2014-Present	17
11.	David Spaccarelli	1997-98	15
	Martin Hernandez	1984-87	15

CORY COLLECTS ACCOLADES

Senior defender Cory Brown, a native of Nelson, New Zealand, has collected an impressive list of awards during the preseason:

BROWN'S 2017 HONORS
• All-BIG EAST First Team
• MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List
• Preseason BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year (second straight season)
• Unanimous selection to Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
• Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Best XI Second Team
• College Soccer News Preseason All-America Second Team
• No. 13 on Top Drawer Soccer list of best players in college soccer

2017 HONORS

NAME	BIG EAST AWARDS (Date)	RELEASE
Cam Taylor	BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week (8/28)	Link
Simen Hestnes	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (9/11)	Link
Cam Taylor	BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week (9/18)	Link
Zach Nelson	BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week (9/18)	Link
Samson Sergi	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (9/18)	Link
Samson Sergi	BIG EAST Player of the Week (10/2)	Link
Zach Nelson	BIG EAST Freshman of the Week (10/2)	Link
Matt Vasquenza	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (10/9)	Link
Josh Grant	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (10/23)	Link
Colin Hanley	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (10/23)	Link
Sam Buzzas	BIG EAST Freshman of the Week (10/30)	Link
Matt Vasquenza	BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (10/30)	Link
	NATIONAL AWARDS (Date)
Samson Sergi	College Soccer News National Team of the Week (9/18)	Link
Cam Taylor	United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week (9/19)	Link
Cam Taylor	NCAA Soccer National Player of the Week (9/20)	Link

GETTING UP OFF THE MAT

• Xavier has bounced back after losses consistently under head coach Andy Fleming, including a 3-0 win over Drake, a 4-1 win over Providence, a 1-0 win against Marquette and a 3-0 win against Providence this fall.
• Since 2010, XU has compiled a record of 24-11-4 (.667) after a loss.

WHAT'S BACK

• Xavier returns 19 letterwinners and seven starters from last season's team, including its leading scorer in Matt Vasquenza and top defender in Cory Brown.
• The roster consists of eight freshmen, 10 sophomores, seven juniors and four seniors. 10 of those players are newcomers to the roster, including transfers Sean Wilson (UNC) and Simen Hestnes (LIU Brooklyn).
• XU's leading scorer in 2016, Matt Vasquenza brings back 17 career goals and should reach the top-10 in program history with another productive season.
• XU's typically-balanced offense saw 11 players record an assist or score a goal last season. Seven players who contributed points last season return to this year's roster, although senior Matt Nance (3g, 4a) will miss the season with an injury.
• The senior class of Cory Brown, Matt Vasquenza, Matt Nance and Josh Grant have led the team to a 35-20-6 (.623) record since 2014.
• The Musketeers bring back 59.3 percent (16-of-27) of their scoring and 59.8 percent (52-of-87) of their points.

BIG EAST POSTSEASON HONORS

BIG EAST Co-Offensive Players of the Year
Brandon Guhl, Butler, So., F
Ricky Lopez-Espin, Creighton, Sr., F

BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year
Harry Cooksley, St. John's, Sr., M

BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
David Enstrom, St. John's, Sr., D

BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year
Eric Dick, Butler, RS-Sr.

BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Derek Dodson, Georgetown, Fr., F

BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year
Butler (Head Coach Paul Snape)

All-BIG EAST First Team
Brandon Guhl, Butler, So., F *
Ricky Lopez-Espin, Creighton, Sr., F *
Mac Steeves, Providence, RS-Sr., F
Harry Cooksley, St. John's, Sr., M
Christopher Lema, Georgetown, Sr., M
Lewis Suddick, Butler, So., M
Cory Brown, Xavier, Sr., D
David Enstrom, St. John's, Sr., D
Brendan McDonough, Georgetown, Jr., D
Lucas Stauffer, Creighton, Sr., D
Eric Dick, Butler, RS-Sr., GK

All-BIG EAST Second Team
Derek Dodson, Georgetown, Fr., F
Declan McCabe, Georgetown, Sr., F
Matt Vasquenza, Xavier, Sr., F
Andres Arcila, Seton Hall, Jr., M
Noah Franke, Creighton, Sr., M
Simen Hestnes, Xavier, Jr., M
Luka Prpa, Marquette, So., M
Shane Bradley, Villanova, So., D
Joe Moulden, Butler, Jr., D
Cameron Taylor, Xavier, RS-Jr., D
JT Marcinkowski, Georgetown, Jr., GK

BIG EAST All-Freshman Team
Kuba Polat, Creighton, Fr., M *
Istvan Wilhelms, DePaul, Fr., M
Derek Dodson, Georgetown, Fr., F *
Jacob Montes, Georgetown, Fr., M *
Sean O'Hearn, Georgetown, Fr., D
Manuel Cukaj, Marquette, Fr., D
Matt DePerro, Providence, RS-Fr., F
Jack Shearer, St. John's, Fr., F *
Theo Quartey, Villanova, Fr., M
Samuel Buzzas, Xavier, RS-Fr., D
Zach Nelson, Xavier, RS-Fr., GK

* - denotes unanimous selection

BIG EAST PRESEASON POLL

1. Providence (9) – 81 pts.
2. Creighton (1) – 70
3. Butler – 68
4. Villanova – 52
5. Georgetown – 46
6. Xavier – 45
7. Marquette – 30
8. St. John's – 27
9. DePaul – 21
10. Seton Hall – 10

First place votes in ( )

PRESEASON WRAP-UP

• Xavier ended the 2017 preseason with a 1-1-1 record, including a 3-0 win over Marian (Ind.) and a 1-1 draw against ACC foe Duke.
• In the result against Duke, XU outshot the Blue Devils 15-6 and had a 12-5 edge in corners.
• Matt Vasquenza scored goals in all three preseason games after scoring in each of the Musketeers' spring matches as well, giving him a goal in nine straight exhibitions.

HOLES TO FILL

• Midfielders Jalen Brown and Majed Osman departed after combining for 107 shots and eight goals last season. Both offensive weapons made 19 starts and leave big shoes to fill in the Musketeer midfield.
• Another midfielder, Walker Andriot, transferred to Louisville for his final season of eligibility after contributing a goal and three assists in 19 starts last season.
• Longtime stalwart Todd Pratzner graduated after making 70 career starts at center back for XU.
• In addition to player turnover, XU has an entirely new look on the sidelines with David Costa, Kevin Reiman and Jamie Starr all new additions to the coaching staff. Starr returns to XU as goalkeepers coach after spending over a year with the USL club FC Cincinnati.